THE Cagayan de Oro City Council passed an Enhanced No Deposit Law imposing additional administrative penalties on hospitals or medical clinics that refuse to administer appropriate medical treatment and support in emergency cases.

The Enhanced No Deposit Ordinance of 2018 was passed on Monday, and was based on Republic Act 3844 which penalizes hospitals who refuse patients in need of emergency care.

According to the ordinance, any official, medical practitioner or employee of the hospital or a medical clinic in Cagayan de Oro shall be penalized with a fine of P5,000 plus suspension of business permit for 5 days for the second offense, and P5,000 and 10-day suspension of the business permit for the third offense.

Councilor Maria Lourdes Gaane, chair of the committee on health and author of the said ordinance, said all hospitals should be the city government's partner in the health system.

“We want to work with them and influence their behavior and invoke their corporate social responsibility. With the national law and the memorandum of agreement with PhilHealth, implementing a no deposit agreement among hospitals in the city for elective cases, this ordinance is the missing link to really provide our constituents quality health service,” she said.

Six private hospitals in Cagayan de Oro, which include Polymedic-Velez and Medical Plaza, Madonna and Child Hospital, Cagayan de Oro Medical Center (COMC), Sabal Hospital Inc., and Maria Reyna Xavier University Hospital all signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) last year to signify their support to the “No Deposit Policy”.

The agreement meant that all PhilHealth-eligible members can now avail of health care without giving advance payments or deposits.