By Charissa Luci-Atienza  The House Committee on Health has been urged to look into the al­leged failure of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to reimburse some P2.5 billion in­curred by accredited private hospitals for attending to the medical needs of their members. House of the Representatives (ALVIN KASIBAN / MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO) Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipoli­to-Castelo said Congress should step in and address the concerns of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHA­Pi) that most PhilHealth-accredited hospitals have yet to receive their re­imbursements from PhilHealth, which amounts to around P2.5 billion. “It is within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Health to investigate all matters directly and principally relat­ing to public health and hygiene, quar­antine, medical, hospital, and other health facilities and services,” she said in filing House Resolution No. 496. She cited the need for the Lower Chamber to look into the issue, as PHAPi president Dr. Rustico Jime­nez warned that its 600 member-hospitals will not be renewing their PhilHealth accreditation next year. “While PhilHealth Chief Ricardo Morales has downplayed the declara­tion of Dr. Jimenez as an ‘empty threat’ alleging that this is the statement of one person, and not of the whole asso­ciation, it is still very important to look into the veracity of these allegations,” Hipolito-Castelo said. “Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that if in case these 600 private hospitals unilaterally withdraw their accreditation from PhilHealth, it will be to the public’s detriment, as this may lead to private hospitals refusing to serve Filipinos,” she said. The neophyte lawmaker said Duque’s warning that such move might compro­mise the implementation of the Universal Health Care should not be taken lightly. Last month, Anakalusugan partylist Rep. Michael “Mike” Defensor, chair­man of the House Committee on Public Accounts, warned private hospitals against “sabotaging” the Duterte gov­ernment’s implementation of the UHC program, saying their failure to renew their accreditation with the PhilHealth can be considered as a crime and should be meted with penalties. “I think it would be a crime for them not to be part of the Universal Health Care program,” Defensor stressed. The House leader said the move of the private hospitals might be seen as a “posturing” as some of them have yet to receive their reimbursements from PhilHealth. “But, when it comes to a point that they will really sabotage the Universal Health Care law, then Congress would have to act,” he said. He said as far as the accreditation is concerned, there is no penal clause in Republic Act No. 11223 or the UHC Law, which was signed by President Duterte on February 20, 2019. “I will not have any second thoughts of filing a penal charge or putting a penal provision in the Universal Health Care against private hospitals who re­ject the Universal Health Care program,” Defensor, a former Malacañang chief of staff, said. In a letter dated October 15 to PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPi) disclosed that many of their members “are now signifying their intention not to renew their ac­creditation next year”. The UHC program is expected to be implemented next year. RA 11223 mandates the automatic enrolment of all Filipinos in PhilHealth’s National Health Insurance Program (NHIP). The Duterte government has allo­cated P166.5 billion for the full imple­mentation of the Universal Health Care under the proposed 2020 National Ex­penditure Program (NEP).