THE Department of Health (DOH) announced Thursday that state insurer PhilHealth will shoulder the hospital expenses of survivors of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu on Tuesday night, leaving at least 72 dead and nearly 300 injured.
DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa directed PhilHealth to cover the medical costs of quake victims in both public and private hospitals.
He noted that a similar arrangement was made during the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
Rescue operations continue as authorities race to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed structures.
“From a medical perspective, as time goes on, survival rates decrease. It is critical now to be fast,” Domingo warned.
Meanwhile, the United Nations in the Philippines said it was assessing the impact of the disaster and stood ready to support the government’s response and recovery efforts.