Duterte gives PhilHealth chief until year-end to end corruption

President Rodrigo Duterte has issued an ultimatum to PhilHealth chief Dante Gierran, demanding that corruption within the state health insurer be eradicated by the end of 2020.

Gierran is tasked with filing necessary cases, suspending, or terminating individuals to cleanse the organization's ranks.

The ultimatum was issued after the President expressed support for the abolition or privatization of PhilHealth, a move also discussed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that Duterte wants Gierran to "clean up the organization, file all the cases that need to be filed, suspend, terminate, whatever you need to do to cleanse the ranks of PhilHealth" before the year ends.

Duterte also previously endorsed the filing of administrative and criminal complaints against former PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales and other executives due to alleged anomalies, including issues with the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism and ICT equipment procurement.