The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has announced today that they will be covering the costs of the COVID-19 test for people who need treatment from the disease. According to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, this will be on top of their coverage for quarantine and isolation costs. “The last thing we want is for our citizens to worry about medical costs and expenses. Their only concern should be their well-being and the well-being of their families.”
Nograles adds that President Rodrigo Duterte knows how worried everybody is about COVID-19 and its threats on our health and lives, so the government will be working even harder to provide testing kits to the areas that are currently affected by the coronavirus.
The deployment of the kits are currently being fast-tracked, so that they can be used right away. According to Dr. Destura of Manila Healthtek, the kit is set for field validation study with support from UP PGH and the National Institute for Health. 500 of the tests will need to be validated in order to meet the Food and Drug Administration’s standards. After that, all hospitals will be granted full access to it.
As of writing, the Philippines has recorded 49 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
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