THE Cebu City Government will deliver health care to its constituents even if its plan to sell the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) materializes, an official said yesterday.
City Administrator Francisco Fernandez said that City Hall intends to enroll residents for Philhealth coverage, or better yet, come up with a “superior insurance system.”
He also addressed fears that the sale will happen soon, saying it will take a long process that includes getting the City Council’s authority and going through a bidding.
“Before we do that, we have to develop a system that will work better for constituents… Basta ang atong tuyo (Our intention) is to offer better health care at the same, if not less, cost,” he said.
Two years ago, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña offered the CCMC to Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia but the latter was not keen on the idea then.
Garcia may come up with an official stand in the next few days, but for now, Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda said the Province may not be interested in acquiring CCMC.
“There is no immediate plan for a provincial hospital in Cebu City,” said Sepulveda.
Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez also said he has yet to hear about Garcia’s intentions on the CCMC, but added, “If Gwen wants to buy it, the legislative will support it.”
The Provincial Government already has three provincial hospitals, one each in Balamban, Carcar City and Danao City. The Balamban Provincial Hospital is already finished while the two others are under renovation.
Cebu City officials are happy with improvements in the management of CCMC, but the hospital still ails from numerous problems that could be addressed if the service is provided by the private sector, said Fernandez.
“It has always been proven that there will be inefficiency once the government runs an enterprise,” he told radio dyLA yesterday.
He said that the City spends P150 million to P160 million a year for the CCMC. Of the amount, P100 million is used for the salaries of hospital workers.
The City could instead use the amount for health insurance, he said, but will have to come up with a better system than that of Philhealth.
He mentioned a system in Makati City that involves the use of vouchers and patients’ cards.
He revealed that the plan to sell the hospital was conceptualized as early as 2002, and there were proposals until the University of San Carlos made its offer.
Fernandez said that the program the city will come up with will benefit those the CCMC is supposed to serve, particularly the bottom 20 to 30 percent of the population or the urban poor. (RHM/With JGA)
