Intensify drive on anti-hospital deposit law, councilor urges

BACOLOD City Councilor Sonya Verdeflor urged the 61 barangays and the City Health Office (CHO) to intensify a massive information drive on the mandatory imposition of Anti-Hospital Deposit Law for emergency patients.

Verdeflor said the Supreme Court earlier upheld the constitutionality of Republic Act (RA) 10932 or Anti-Hospital Deposit Law covering emergency patients including pregnant women who will likely be denied initial treatment under serious conditions.

“In the past years, there were many cases of patients dying in private hospitals due to refusal to administer initial medical treatment by the hospital or clinic for the failure of the patient to post advance payment,” she said.

RA 10932 increases the penalties for the refusal of hospitals and clinics to administer appropriate initial medical treatment in an emergency or serious cases.

It is also unlawful for any hospital or medical clinic to request, solicit, demand or accept any deposit or any other form of advance payment as a prerequisite for administering basic emergency care, for confinement or medical treatment, or to refuse to administer medical treatment and support to any patient, the law said.

Verdeflor said under this new law which was upheld last December 2018 by the Supreme Court states that any official, medical practitioner or employee of the hospital or medical clinic who violates the provisions of this Act shall be punished by imprisonment of not less than six months and one day but not more than two years and four months, or a fine of not less than P100,000 but not more than P300,000 or both.

Higher penalties of imprisonment of four to six years, or a fine of not less than P500,000 but not more than P1 million, or both, are imposed upon directors of hospitals or clinics responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies or instructions that violate the new law.

The policy added that three repeated violations shall result in the revocation of the health facility's license to operate by the Department of Health. (MAP)

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