Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Nothing wrong in sale of X-ray films: Labella
SINCE the used x-ray films are not Cebu City Government property, a city councilor believes there was no irregularity when the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) staff sold the films.
Besides, Councilor Edgardo Labella said, Cebu City Administrator Francisco Fernandez is said to have authorized the sale of the unusable supplies and materials at the CCMC.
Labella, chairman of the council committee on public accountability, said the City no longer owns the films in question since the patients have already paid for them.
And since the patients did not bother to claim them, the hospital management may opt to dispose of them for lack of storage space.
The x-ray films also contain potentially hazardous chemicals and are highly combustible, and should be disposed of once they have served their purpose, the councilor added.
Doing job
“Personally, I think the hospital staff is just doing their job but the way I look at it, they have not committed any wrongdoing here. It’s on record that they were authorized by the city administrator to dispose of these, and to sell those that can no longer be used,” he told reporters.
But for the sake of clearing the names of those who have been accused of wrongdoing, Labella endorsed the letter regarding “anomalies” at CCMC to the council, for official action.
He said he doesn’t know what to do with the letter-complaint sent to his office since it was unsigned and no formal complaint was filed before any investigating agency.
The letter was included in the agenda in today’s council session.
In a phone interview yesterday, Fernandez admitted approving CCMC Chief Myrna Go’s request to be allowed to sell unusable materials and use the proceeds for the hospital’s immediate needs that may not be reimbursed by City Hall.
In her Sept. 25, 2006 letter, Go assured Fernandez that the funds will be put to proper use.
“I told them it’s okay provided that they ask the General Services Office for the proper procedure in disposing of these things and to make sure the procedures are followed,” Fernandez said.
The city administrator already asked Go to submit a report on the matter but has yet to receive the result of the investigation. From the results, City Hall will decide what to do with the hospital personnel involved.
Labella also said the used x-ray film cannot be used as evidence in court for medico-legal cases, contrary to earlier reports.
What will be used, he clarified, are the doctors’ interpretation of the x-ray films, which is included in an official document that will be submitted to the court. (LCR)
