Saturday, December 22, 2007 Province to turn over Lapu hospital operations on Jan.
STARTING on Jan. 1, control and operation of the two district hospitals of Lapu-Lapu City will be the responsibility of the City.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Mayor Arturo Radaza signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the turnover last Thursday.
City Attorney Vincent Joseph Lim said the agreement can be best called a “usufruct” because the Province retains ownership of the two buildings and their equipment.
“What were turned over were the 82 personnel. About the building and the equipment we were only given the privilege to use them...so legally this is more a usufruct,” he told Sun.Star Cebu in a talk shortly after the program wrapped up.
The Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital is home to 82 personnel, including 16 nurses and nine doctors. Sta. Rosa District Hospital has 15.
Two hospitals
City Councilor Damian Gomez said the turnover requires the City P32 million to defray the annual operational cost of the two hospitals.
The turnover became mandatory after Lapu-Lapu was converted into a highly urbanized city in a plebiscite last July, removing it from the Province’s administrative control.
The Province also came up with the decision to turn over the two hospitals as a strategy to reduce expenses.
But Gov. Garcia assured that she will not turn her back on Lapu-Lapu City whenever it will call for help under the principle of “One Cebu.”
The Province spent P22.4 million for the Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital in 2006 and P22.09 million this year. The Sta. Rosa District Hospital cost the Province P4.5 million last year and P4.9 million this year.
“Maintaining 18 district hospitals is a major hemorrhage in our budget… because of past practices the hospitals were very dirty and didn’t have any medicine in stock,” the governor said in Cebuano.
Twenty one of the 82 personnel at the Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital are not covered by the MOA because they are agency-hired.
Agencies
But to prevent their dismissal from service when the MOA takes effect on Jan. 1, the City intends to accredit the two manpower agencies that have hired them so they can be absorbed in the regular plantilla.
Meanwhile, Radaza said he will only ask the governor for help when it is “necessary.”
“It does not mean we can’t do it, but there might be cases that we need the help of the governor… so we will do it,” he said.
Vice Mayor Mario Amores, who is a doctor by profession, said Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. funds will be more than enough to shoulder the operational cost of the two hospitals, but this all depends on the mayor where he will get the money.
Amores said they will also reassess the hospitals’ other needs. (AIV)
