Gov’t expects Red Cross to resume COVID-19 testing services ” within the week”: Ano

October 20, 2020

The government is expecting that the COVID-19 testing services of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will return within this week, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said on Tuesday.

In a radio interview, Ano said the government is eyeing to pay their debt to PRC within this week so services, especially for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) will resume.

Last Thursday, the Red Cross said it will not process COVID-19 tests that are charged to PhilHealth due to the government agency's debts of P930,993,000.

This forced Red Cross to  stop conducting RT-PCR tests on arriving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), passengers in airports and seaports, individuals requesting RT-PCR tests in government swabbing facilities, frontline health and government workers, and those in the expanded testing guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH).

Ano said because of Red Cross' move, the results of OFWs are released within two to three days compared to previous one to two days.

“Right now, it’s not yet back but our target is within the week we can start again and we can pay them,” he said.

He said PRC is a big help to the government that’s why it was President Rodrigo Duterte himself who promised to pay them back.

On Monday night, Duterte assured PRC that they will settle the accumulated debt of PhilHealth over unpaid fees for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests. Ella Dionisio/DMS