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Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Hospital official accused of misusing P600T for docs’ fees
A criminal case was filed against a department head of a private hospital who allegedly misused over P600,000 earmarked as professional fees for doctors and other hospital expenses.
City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon approved the filing of the charge against Pacita Gallardo before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) and recommended bail at P100,000.
She did not refute the charges during preliminary investigation that the office conducted, hence the filing of the case.
In an internal investigation at the hospital, Gallardo reportedly admitted taking the money. She allegedly said she used it for her son, who was reportedly into drugs and threatened her whenever she failed to give him money.
A co-respondent, Rowena Danggoy, was cleared of all charges for lack of probable cause.
According to the complaint filed by the Visayas Community Medical Center (VCMC), Gallardo headed the hospital’s business office and had been working there since 1964. The hospital said Gallardo had “direct supervision and control not only over the personnel but also on matters of disbursement or release of hospital funds.” (It is unclear if Gallardo still works for the hospital.)
Discovery
In a joint resolution penned by Assistant City Prosecutor Alex Gabud, Gallardo was found to have obtained the money through the years by “borrowing” money directly from the hospital’s coffers by issuing “signed notes” to the hospital’s cashiers.
The hospital’s complaint said Gallardo misappropriated and used P616,580 between January 2001 and October 2004.
Based on the VCMC complaint, the malversation was discovered in October 2004, after the hospital administration began hearing rumors that the hospital was often short of money billed from patients to cover the professional fees of their attending physicians.
Attending physicians do not bill their patients. The hospital does it for them by incorporating the fees into the bill that patients have to settle before checking out.(KNR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (January 17, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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