THE Department of Health (DOH) 7 will look into the Cebu City Government’s decision to admit only city residents to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), starting today.

However, the health department said there is nothing wrong with accepting only Cebu City residents, provided the hospital will still accept patients from other areas who suffer from life-threatening ailments.

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“We have Republic Act (RA) 8344 that provides there is no hospital that can refuse any emergency cases,” said DOH 7 Director Dr. Susana Madarieta.

Transients, or those who temporarily reside in Cebu City for work or studies, may still be treated in the barangay health centers and the City Health Department (CHD).

City Councilor Christopher Alix said that starting today, non-Cebu City residents will be referred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMCC) for treatment, unless they are in an emergency or life-threatening situation.

He assured that CCMC will not turn down any patient, regardless of their residence, if they require immediate medical attention.

Starting today, the CCMC will only admit city residents, and only if they have an endorsement from the health center or the CHD. The health centers were also instructed to verify whether or not the patient is a resident of the city.

Direct admission at the CCMC will no longer be allowed without any referral from the health centers, to encourage the constituents to have their consultations and minor treatments at the CHD.

Storm

CCMC Hospital Administrator Rene Sanapo said he is not aware of the plan.

“We have not received any memorandum on that yet. What we know is that we will not accept any admission unless it’s an emergency, and obviously, on days when the health centers and City Health are not open,” Sanapo said.

But Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) yesterday said the City Government should prioritize health services instead of burial assistance, and that CCMC should be given all-out funding instead of being closed down.

“The asphalt storm? That’s not necessary. Medical services are more important. Ang asphalt storm para ra na sa eleksyon. Mas i-prioritize ang kinabuhi kay sa patay. Of course tagdon pud ang patay, apan tagaa’g higher priority ang health sa mga tawo (Of course the City can help with burials, but it should prioritize health care),” the congressman said.

He was apparently alluding to the promise of city officials to improve City Hall’s burial assistance and self-help projects, following a consultation last month when barangay captains asked for a more efficient implementation of City Government programs.

The City gives P5,000 as burial assistance to each resident.

Basic

“We need the hospital. The City should give its all-out support to the hospital. That’s basic, that’s even more important than the burial assistance. I hope the vice mayor will insist on it and will not be dissuaded by other people,” Cuenco said, referring to Acting Mayor Michael Rama.

Alix, chairman of the City Council committee on health and hospital services, said he does not see anything wrong with the new policy, since VSMMC is supposed to attend to the needs of patients from the provinces.

Mayor-on-leave Tomas Osmeña earlier said that CCMC has to be decongested, especially since 30 percent of the patients admitted there are not from Cebu City.

“We want to decongest the hospital, that is why we will only accept residents of the city... If they are from the province and they come to the city for treatment, they can go to VSMMC, anyway it’s not too far from CCMC. If they work or study in the city, then that is another issue,” Alix said.

Transfers

Non-residents of the city will be entertained at the health centers and the CHD, and on a case-to-case basis, may be referred to CCMC, he further said.

According to RA 8344, all hospitals and clinics are mandated to provide proper health care services to patients in emergency situations. It is also unlawful to demand any advance payment or deposit.

Before sending a patient off to another hospital, the CCMC has to make sure the patient is in a stable enough condition for travel, Madarieta said.

“I understand that their budget is for the Cebu City constituents. Maybe they just want to make sure that the money truly goes to their constituents,” said Madarieta.

But she pointed out that others, like the Mandaue City Hospital, still accept non-city residents, even if at slightly higher rates than those charged to residents.

Madarieta said she will be meeting CCMC Chief Dr. Myrna Go today to discuss the matter further. (LCR/EPB/RHM)