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PH Red Cross to test 180 Fabella hospital staff for COVID-19 despite gov't debt

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/10/23/20201023-fabella-hospital-stoppage-jc-11.jpg"/><figcaption>People wait near the entrance of the Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila on October 23, 2020. Hospital officials announced that it would stop accepting new patients indefinitely to give way to disinfection activities following reports of frontline workers testing positive for COVID-19. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA— Sen. Richard Gordon on Friday said the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) would resume its COVID-19 testing operations to accommodate nearly 200 health care workers at a state-run hospital who may have been exposed to the virus.</p><p>The PRC received &quot;an urgent call&quot; from the head of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila &quot;requesting for assistance to swab&quot; 180 hospital staff after 7 of their doctors tested positive for COVID-19, said Gordon, who chairs the non-government humanitarian organization.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/23/20/7-doktor-sa-fabella-hospital-positibo-sa-covid-19-admission-ng-mga-pasyente-tigil-muna">7 doktor sa Fabella Hospital, positibo sa COVID-19; admission ng mga pasyente tigil muna</a></li></ul><p>&quot;We will test them immediately for humanitarian purposes and we are not going to charge their personnel,&quot; Gordon said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;If they will not be tested, they will be forced to stop operations since they need to be isolated for 14 days being close contacts of the positive cases,&quot; he said.</p><p>The Fabella hospital had announced Friday it would stop admitting new patients after the COVID-19 diagnosis of several doctors.</p><p>The PRC earlier suspended its state-funded COVID-19 testing services after the Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) failed to settle P930 million in debt to the organization.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/15/20/philippine-red-cross-to-stop-philhealth-funded-covid-19-tests-due-to-p930-m-govt-debt">Philippine Red Cross to stop PhilHealth-funded COVID-19 tests due to P930-M gov&#x27;t debt</a></li></ul><p>Tests will be on hold until PhilHealth pays its overdue balance, the PRC earlier said. Government has <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/23/20/palace-red-cross-covid-19-tests-payment-half-installment-resume-richard-gordon">vowed to pay</a> in installments. </p><p>The policy will be waived for the Fabella hospital staff to &quot;protect our frontliners,&quot; Gordon said.</p><p>&quot;These health care workers are at the forefront since day 1 and have worked nonstop to deliver best and quality care,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;They are very important. We will undertake the testing,&quot; he said.</p><p>PhilHealth - which has been mired in corruption allegations for several years - has yet to say when it plans to pay its nearly P1-billion debt to the PRC.</p><p>On Thursday, PhilHealth said it would defer the payment to the PRC until the Department of Justice gives its opinion on how to proceed with the settlement.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/22/20/philhealth-delays-payment-of-red-cross-debt-anew-pending-doj-review">PhilHealth delays payment of Red Cross debt anew pending DOJ review</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rl7yzxp7L1k?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Sen. Richard Gordon on Friday said the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) would resume its COVID-19 testing operations to accommodate nearly 200 healthcare workers who may have been exposed to the virus.</p>

Sen. Richard Gordon on Friday said the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) would resume its COVID-19 testing operations to accommodate nearly 200 healthcare workers who may have been exposed to the virus.

PH Red Cross to test 180 Fabella hospital staff for COVID-19 despite gov't debt

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PH Red Cross to test 180 Fabella hospital staff for COVID-19 despite gov't debt

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 23, 2020 06:38 PM PHT

|

Updated October 23, 2020 11:45 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippine Red Cross

PRC

COVID-19

Richard Gordon

Fabella hospital

COVID-19 testing

health workers

medical frontliners

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