Thursday, August 23, 2007 Delilan: For the poor By Erwin Ambo Delilan The Buzz
DR. JAIME Bernadas, acting chief of hospital at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), sounds "funny" after Sun.Star Bacolod was able to secure a rate card for the hospital's newly-increased service rates.
Yes, of course, I understand Dr. Bernadas why he's "lying" about the increase on the hospital new service rates.
Perhaps, he doesn't want the public to know the new rates because until now CLMMRH is still being under media scrutiny due to the alleged fund scam that involved three top officials of the hospital. Bernadas is among the three-man team sent by the Department of Health (DOH) to temporarily oversee operations of the CLMMRH.
Meaning, Bernadas and his two companions should supposed to act on anything only in an acting capacity. But increasing the rates on hospital services might have also an instruction from the higher up. The only problem is that Dr. Bernadas keeps on denying why the new rate card is already in Sun.Star Bacolod after some of CLMMRH gave such document to my reporter Gil Severino.
And for the information everybody, CLMMRH now charges P200 for just a mere application of cast from the previous P60 only. Chemotherapy is also P200 now from P60 also, consultation from P30 to P50, dressing from P10 to P50, ECG from P100 to P200, foley catheter from P45 to P100, injection from P15 to P30, internal examination from P30 to P50, among others.
Looking at the new rate card, I can say that the increase at CLMMRH is more than 200 percent.
Imagine this and the people flooding CLMMRH almost everybody.
Some cannot even buy foods or can't even pay for their transportation from their respective place to the hospital and vice versa. Some are only relying on social workers inside of the hospital to burden their medical and hospitalization expenses.
What they need is simply certification from their respective barangay that they're indigents. Yet, here comes the new increase on service rates. Demanding from patients to pay P100 to P200 per service that CLMMRH is rendering to them is quite "hard" at this time. P100 or P200 nowadays is "something" for the non-income patients.
Hope that Bernadas should look into this and consider his decision in implementing such increase. And if it's true that CLMMRH is not facing a P15 million deficit, then, why order an increase on service rates.
Bernadas should remember that CLMMRH is a regional hospital meant for everyone especially the poor. So what's the essence of this CLMMRH if time comes that even the poor patients can't even afford to pay just for the dressing of his or her wound?
Hope Bernadas should wake up to this reality before people in Negros will "crucify" him.
And if there's an increase, tell the public rather than hide everything to them that later will also be known.
