MANILA — The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has broken its silence following public outrage sparked by a viral social media post of a grieving widow who complained about being denied benefits after her husband’s death.

In a report, it said that in a statement posted on Facebook, PhilHealth said it immediately acted upon learning of the incident to “understand and address the situation.”

“We have since reached out to the member’s wife and have agreed on the next steps as we explore all avenues of support,” PhilHealth’s statement read.

“We are likewise coordinating with the hospitals to understand the circumstances of the situation, as part of our sustained efforts to improve PhilHealth’s responsiveness,” it added.

The statement came after a viral Facebook post by Maria Lourdes Sulit, who narrated how her husband, Marvin, died of a brain hematoma after the family was unable to afford emergency neurosurgery costs running into millions of pesos.

According to Sulit, Marvin was rushed to Manila Doctors Hospital on June 4 at around 5:59 a.m. and was initially advised that surgery would cost about P4 million.

He was later referred to the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERM), where costs were estimated to be nearly P2 million lower, but the hospital required an immediate P1 million down payment before admission.

“We are an ordinary family living only hand-to-mouth,” Sulit said.

“With time running out and no way to raise that amount immediately, we had no choice but to wait for Marvin to die. It was heartbreaking and devastating,” she added.

Marvin died at 12:29 a.m. on June 4, less than 19 hours after being admitted to the hospital.

Sulit said she later sought PhilHealth benefits but was told the claim was denied because her husband had been confined for less than 24 hours.

“My husband had just died. How could he not be eligible?” she said.

“I was only asking for the benefits that my husband spent more than 25 years contributing to. He was a lifelong member. He paid faithfully throughout his working years,” she added.

She also described accumulating hospital charges of around P200,000 within hours of admission and appealed for the removal of PhilHealth’s 24-hour confinement policy in cases involving death.

“PhilHealth, review and change this policy. We do not deserve this. It was so unfair. If a member died, he/she should be extended all the benefits a member deserves. This is our hard-earned money na kinukurak*** nyo lang,” she said.