AFTER reports circulated that nurses working under contractual basis at the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) have resigned after they have not received their salaries for four months, Acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the salaries of the disgruntled nurses are now in the hands of the City Council.
Rama said the salaries can only be released if the City Council approves the first supplemental budget (SB 1) worth P4.45 billion.
He admitted the salaries of the contractual nurses were delayed for four months as the approval of the supplemental budget was delayed as well.
Since January 2021, 44 medical frontliners working at CCMC have resigned.
CCMC Administrator Yvonne Cania said there were 14 nurses with casual employment status and 30 nurses who are job order (JO) employees who resigned from CCMC.
Aside from the 14 nurses with casual employment status who resigned this year, another 21 nurses with the same employment status also resigned in 2020.
Cania said most of the casual employees resigned after they decided to go abroad.
For JO employees, aside from the 30 nurses, there were also nine medical school doctors, four radiologic technologists, three medical technologists and five drivers who resigned from CCMC, said Cania.
Cania said JO workers opted to resign because of “delayed salaries.”
Opposition City Councilor Joy Augustus Young, assistant minority floor leader, questioned why this matter happened.
“This is stupidity to its highest level,” said Young.
Young said the reason for the delay of the salaries should be looked into.
Administration City Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia, chairman of the budget and finance committee, said the executive department has proposed a P21.7 million budget under the proposed first supplemental budget intended for the salaries of the JO workers of CCMC.