PRESS STATEMENT: On Resumption of PhilHealth Systems

by Info @Brand Zone | September 29, 2023

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announces the resumption of its Corporate Website and Member Portal effective 12 noon of September 29, 2023. These public-facing application systems are already up and running and now accessible to the general public through the internet. The e-Claims system will be available within the day.

The shutting down of its application systems was done immediately upon the advice of the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) to isolate these key services and to ensure that the ransomware infection will not spread to critical computers.

PhilHealth has been working round the clock since Friday to clean up the affected workstations and restore normalcy the soonest.

Meanwhile, it has yet to verify the alleged leaked members’ data that was reportedly found in the dark web. On the alleged demand for ransom, we reiterate the government’s policy of not paying one to criminals.

PhilHealth also guarantees the public that its databases are intact, safe and secure. Members are also assured that their benefit entitlement will not be hampered due to this incident. Interim arrangements while systems are offline have been instituted to ensure that members continually avail of their PhilHealth benefits anytime and anywhere in the country.

PhilHealth continues to work closely with the DICT and National Privacy Commission (NPC) to address the situation. It also coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine National Police (PNP) toward this end. PhilHealth also welcomes calls for inquiry to get to the bottom of this incident. PhilHealth shall rightfully impose disciplinary actions to people who have been remiss in the performance of their duties if they are found liable.

PhilHealth sincerely asks for the public’s understanding and support during this time and implores certain groups and sectors to refrain from concocting false and misleading information to avoid creating panic and distrust among our members and stakeholders.

The entire state health insurance agency takes this incident seriously, seizing the opportunity that this incident brings to further strengthen its information security infrastructure in order to prevent this from happening again.

Tuloy ang laban ng PhilHealth sa kabila ng cyber attack ng Medusa ransomware

ni Jeff Tumbado @News | September 27, 2023

Kahit offline ang sistema sa pagproseso ay tuloy ang aplikasyon ng mga miyembro ng Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) sa main office nito sa Mother Ignacia Branch, Quezon City sa kabila ng nangyaring pag-hack ng cyberhackers na Medusa ransomware kung saan humihingi ng ransom na $300,000 o P17M kapalit ng pagbalik muli sa normal na operasyon ng ahensya.

Official Statement: Update on temporary system downtime

by Info @Brand Zone | September 24, 2023

UPDATE ON TEMPORARY SYSTEM DOWNTIME

September 23, 2023, as of 8:00 PM

In view of the information security incident that we detected early morning of September 22, 2023, please be apprised that access to all systems including the website, HCI and Member Portal, and e-Claims were disabled or unplugged immediately as part of the information security containment measures being implemented by PhilHealth.

Affected systems shall be restored at the soonest possible time after the completion of the needed configuration and reinforcement of existing information security measures. We are working to restore these systems on Monday, September 25, 2023.

PhilHealth’s Management assures the public that the incident is under control and that no personal information and medical information has been compromised or leaked. We have already coordinated with the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), National Privacy Commission (NPC), Cybercrime Units of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct forensic investigation and assessment.

In the meantime, the following procedures shall be observed in the interim until the affected systems are restored:

Members and their qualified dependents shall continually be entitled to the benefits of the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) with the submission to accredited healthcare providers a photocopy of the member’s PhilHealth Identification Card (PIC) or Member Data Record (MDR) or any identified acceptable supporting documents.

Self-earning individuals and professionals paying their premium contributions may pay directly to PhilHealth’s existing Accredited Collecting Agents with over-the-counter payments.

Accredited healthcare facilities are advised to continue deducting PhilHealth benefits and devise temporary arrangements with patients who are for discharge for them to avail of their benefits.

Note: The rule on the filing of claims is covered by the previous Advisory on PhilHealth System Optimization wherein the filing period is extended to another 60 days for claims covering June 01, 2023 to September 30, 2023.

Employers may submit their reports once the Electronic Premium Remittance System (EPRS) has been restored

Meanwhile, PhilHealth continues its operations and processes transactions that can be done manually while configurations are ongoing.

PhilHealth asks for the public’s understanding regarding this untoward incident. Further inquiries may be coursed through the PhilHealth Callback Channel at 0917-8987442, the PhilHealth Official Facebook Page @PhilHealthOfficial, or at any PhilHealth Regional and Local Health Insurance Offices.

(Sgd.) EMMANUEL R. LEDESMA, JR.

President and Chief Executive Officer