Malacañang has ordered a thorough investigation into the case of a widow who failed to access medical benefits from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for her late husband.

"Hindi po iyan ang nais ng Pangulo (That is not what the President wants)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing on Tuesday night, June 16.

Castro was referring to the plight of Maria Lourdes Sulit, whose husband died from a brain hematoma on June 4.

Sulit claimed that PhilHealth officers told their family her husband is not eligible for PhilHealth benefits because he had only been hospitalized for less than 24 hours, even though her husband has been a lifelong member and faithfully contributing to the agency for more than 25 years.

Before this, Sulit was forced to cough up P1 million by a hospital as a deposit for her husband, who needed immediate surgery but eventually died, unable to receive any proper healthcare.

"Tandaan po natin: Ang out-patient po ay covered po ito ng PhilHealth, so kung mayroon mang mga tao na hindi po na-explain mabuti ang coverage ng PhilHealth, iyan po ay dapat na maimbestigahan (Let us remember: outpatient services are covered by PhilHealth. If there are people whose PhilHealth coverage was not properly explained to them, then that matter should be investigated)," Castro said.

"Hindi po nais ng Pangulo na dapat ang mga kababayan natin ay nabibigyan po ng ayuda pagdating po sa kalusugan nila pero hindi naibibigay dahil sa maling pag-i-implement (The President does not want our fellow citizens to be entitled to healthcare assistance but fail to receive it because of improper implementation)," Castro added.

The Palace spokesperson said the situation warrants an investigation and assured that it is now underway.

She also called on all PhilHealth personnel—whether they are PhilHealth staff, those assigned to hospitals, or anyone responsible for processing citizens' benefits—to be fully aware of all coverage provisions so they can provide accurate information to the public.

"Dahil kung mali po ang maibibigay ninyong impormasyon, maaari po itong makaapekto at makadanyos sa ating mga kababayan (Because if incorrect information is given, it could negatively affect and cause harm to our fellow citizens)," Castro said.

"So, titingnan po natin, hindi pa po natin alam kung sino ang may pagkakamali dito pero ipinag-uutos po ang tama at masusi na pag-iimbestiga dito dahil hindi po ito dapat maulit kung totoo na PhilHealth staff ang nagkaroon ng pagkakasala dito (So we will look into this matter. We do not yet know who is at fault, but a proper and comprehensive investigation has been ordered because this should not happen again if it is true that a PhilHealth staff member was responsible for the mistake)," Castro added.