THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) national office has informed Mayor Evelio Leonardia that it will evaluate the appeal for re-accreditation of the Bacolod Our Lady of Mercy Specialty Hospital (BOLMSH), which was withdrawn by its Regional Accreditation Committee starting March 2018.
Last month, Leonardia has written Dr. Roy Ferrer, acting president and chief executive officer of PhilHealth, to make an appeal, on behalf of the Bacolodnons, to grant the re-accreditation of the BOLMSH.
The BOLMSH, for its part, has filed for a motion for reconsideration to grant its re-accreditation from March to December 2018.
The mayor said the non-accreditation of the 200-bed health facility would result to its closure, which will affect its 400 personnel and its 231 dialysis patients.
The BOLMSH is dubbed “Hospital for the Poor” and has been the preferred healthcare provider of middle and low-income patients of Bacolod City, and even of the province of Negros Occidental, he said.
Although the case is bound by rules and procedures as prescribed by law, it is nonetheless respectfully requested that a resolution is issued by PhilHealth to prevent the closure of BOLMSH, he added.
“As a fast-growing city, Bacolod cannot afford to lose a big hospital which caters to the low-income patients in the city and gives employment to its constituents,” Leonardia wrote.
In reply, Ferrer informed Leonardia that, “I have instructed our [Regional] Accreditation Committee to discuss the appeal of BOLMSH in their next meeting, so the matter can be discussed immediately.”
“Rest assured that we would be acting on the appeal of the hospital based on our shared commitment to serve the best interests of our constituents we are sworn to serve.”
On the third week of June, at the height of the planned closure of BOLMSH, presently managed by the Negros Healthcare Management Systems Inc. (NHMSI), Leonardia immediately called for a dialog between PhilHealth-Western Visayas and BOLMSH-NHMSI management.
The meeting was also attended by PhilHealth-Western Visayas regional vice president Lourdes Diocson, its legal counsel Dennis Guevara, BOLMSH-NHMSI president Dr. Nestor Amante, Councilor Em Ang, City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan, and Secretary to the Mayor lawyer Edward Joseph Cuansing.
The two parties agreed that pending resolution of the issues, BOLMSH will continue to operate until July 30.
For its part, the PhilHealth Regional Office committed to request the Accreditation Committee to expedite the deliberation of the denied accreditation papers of the BOLMSH within 30 days, after the hospital file for a motion for reconsideration. (PR)