Monday, October 23, 2006
Cebu City hospital director open to transfer
By Rene H. Martel
CEBU CITY -- Unlike the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) employees who opposed the planned Capitol take-over of some services, Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) Acting Chief Myrna Go said they will abide by whatever decision Mayor Tomas Osmeña will have on the City-run hospital.
The Capitol has been reviewing since August the CCMC’s assets, liabilities, budget and staff. The audit will guide the Capitol to assess if operating the City hospital will be feasible.
Osmeña has offered for the Capitol to run the hospital after repeatedly threatening to close it down because of congestion and what he considers as poor management and staff inefficiency.
The hospital eats up around P140 million of the City’s annual budget, and has always been cited as among the losing ventures of the City.
In a phone interview, Go said they really could not do anything if Osmeña and the City Council agree to hand management over to the Provincial Government.
“Mag-agad ra man mi sa desisyon sa mayor. Kung unsay iyang pagboot, mosunod ra mi (We leave it up to the mayor. Whatever his decision is, we will follow),” she said.
Except saying that she is certain that the mayor has weighed the advantages and disadvantages before coming up with such a proposal, she refused to comment further.
“Iyaha man pud gyud nang gitun-an (Surely, he has studied it),” she said.
In an earlier interview, City Councilor Christopher Alix said he favors the plan, provided that the city’s constituents will not be left out and will continue to enjoy hospital services.
The mayor has asked the Capitol to run CCMC as part of his second land swap offer, so the City could save those occupying Province-owned lots from getting evicted.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia was reported to be initially lukewarm to the offer. But with the aborted transfer of primary and secondary VSMMC services to the Capitol, the governor has more time to study Osmeña’s proposal.
If the Province decides to accept the offer, the CCMC will have to accept patient referrals from district hospitals.
Under the current set-up, CCMC is exclusive to Cebu City residents, and patients from the province are referred to the VSMMC, also located in Cebu City.
Aside from the CCMC, the Capitol is also thinking of helping the Cebu Puericulture and Maternity Center, which also serves those from the province.
Garcia has said they planned a network of comprehensive medical facilities that “complement each other.”
VSMMC would have been part of the plan had the Department of Health not given up on its own proposal for the Capitol to take over most of its services. Hospital employees also opposed the move.
DOH has offered that the VSMMC cater only to tertiary cases, such as surgery or vital organ transplants.
Primary or secondary cases would have to be referred to the city, district or provincial hospitals. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(October 23, 2006 issue)
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