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Reforms at PhilHealth must lead to corruption-free services -- Sen. Go

Philippines | National

Reforms at PhilHealth must lead to corruption-free services -- Sen. Go

By Mario Casayuran

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go said reforms at the graft-ridden Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) must lead to corruption-free services for Filipinos.

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (OFFICE OF SEN. BONG GO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, also said he supports a bill filed by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III that the Department of Finance Secretary be made the ex-officio chairman of the PhilHealth board.

During an interview last Friday at the opening of the country’s 85th Malasakit Center at the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City, Go said that reforming the PhilHealth is of utmost priority and that the newly appointed PhilHealth President Dante Gierran must be given a chance to cleanse the agency of corruption before considering privatizing or abolishing PhilHealth.

“Alam niyo itong sa PhilHealth issue, para sa akin po kapag isinapribado po ito, magiging negosyo na po ang PhilHealth. Magiging profit-oriented na po (and) the business of government is not profit. (It is) service,” Go said as he disagrees with proposals to privatize the State health insurer.

(Privatizing PhilHealth will make it a business concern. It will be profit-oriented)

”I agree with Gierran na huwag muna at sabi naman ni Pangulong Duterte, bibigyan muna ng pagkakataon ang bagong pamunuan ng PhilHealth to prove their worth and work to clean PhilHealth,” he added.

(I agree with Gierran that he be given the chance to prove his worth and to clean PhilHealth)

“Sa ngayon hindi pa po. hindi muna iaabolish sa ngayon.’’

(Not now. Don’t abolish it)

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