Malacañang said patients staying in tents due to the lack of hospital beds should still be covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) as these make-shift facilities are preparatory to admission.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement following reports of medical facilities allegedly charging a P1,000/hour rate for patients inside the tents as the country experienced a surge in cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past month.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Roque said the tent charges in hospitals should be covered by PhilHealth.

"It should be covered because the tents are preparatory to admission. Of course, as soon as they've checked in the tents, they are actually the supervision of the hospital," Roque told "The Source” Monday, April 5.

"I do not know who said that it should not be covered but we will clarify this matter with PhilHealth," he added.

Roque said patients inside the tents should be covered because they serve as temporary waiting facilities and were already given treatment.

Over the weekend, senators urged PhilHealth to include in its COVID-19 coverage the patients confined in hospital tents.

"In a pandemic environment, PhilHealth has a social and moral obligation to serve the needs of its members. It plays a major role in implementing the UHC (Universal Health Care) law and its services are crucially important," the joint statement of senators Nancy Binay, Sonny Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian, Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva, and Juan Miguel Zubiri read.

PhilHealth had already acknowledged the situation and assured patients that they will be given coverage.

"Be it COVID-19 or not, patients should be afforded with all the financial help as guaranteed by the Universal Health Care Law," the State insurer said in a statement.

PhilHealth added that it has been reviewing existing policies to better respond to the "extraordinary demands" brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.