Probe into P7M fees collected from VMMC trainee nurses sought

MANILA -- A member of the House of Representatives urged the committee on health to investigate the "highly irregular" collection of fees from trainee nurses by the management of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).

The Commission on Audit (COA) ordered earlier the government-run hospital to make a full accounting of the P7.8 million in seminar fees from 2,455 trainee nurses after it discovered that only P459,800 was reflected in official receipts.

The fees were collected from the intravenous therapy training programs conducted by the state-owned hospital from January to December 2011. Participant from January to April were charged P150 each while those who registered starting March all the way to December were charged P200 each.

The COA found out that VMMC actually collected P3,200 from the trainee nurses.

Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone said he wanted the matter investigated as he received information that the collection of fees from trainee nurses has become common in other government-run hospitals.

"It is immoral and highly irregular if not illegal to collect fees from nurse-trainees, especially by government hospitals," he said in a text message to reporters.

The Department of Health should step into the matter to stop this practice by erring government hospitals, he said.

"They are already having a hard time in finding jobs and yet, kokotongan pa!" he said. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)