Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that patients with suspected coronavirus disease or COVID-19 do not have to pay for testing.
“Yung pagsusuri ng specimen, yung nose and throat swabs, libre po ito,” Duque said during the house hearing on the government’s preparation for COVID-19.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles confirmed that the tests are free of charge.
PhilHealth will shoulder the cost and other medical costs related to COVID-19.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation said that members could avail of a health package worth ₱14,000.
A PhilHealth member diagnosed with moderate pneumonia is entitled to a medical coverage worth ₱16,000.
Each coronavirus test kit costs around ₱8,000. A patient will undergo testing thrice.
“At this point, they just need to conduct validation of 500 tests for COVID-19 to enable them to conduct clinical sensitivity analysis as a pre-condition set by the FDA. Once it passes the clinical tests, the FDA will grant full access by all hospitals, as guided by the DOH,” Nograles said.
