THE employees union of the Bacolod Our Lady of Mercy Specialty Hospital (BOLMSH) hit the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for having no mercy on them by not acting on time on the motion for reconsideration of the hospital regarding its accreditation.
Because of the inaction of PhilHealth, the 401 employees of BOLMSH has been terminated from their respective jobs effective July 31, based on the notice of termination served to them by the Negros Healthcare Management Systems Inc. (NHMSI) that manages the hospital.
Santi Mamon, president of BOLMSH employees union, said they held a general assembly Wednesday morning and they were informed by Dr. Jude Garcia, hospital chief operations officer, that they will receive separation pay of 15 days per year for the five years that NHMSI has managed the hospital no matter how long their respective employments are with the hospital.
“That's why the employees are signing a petition for a legal action that at least we would be given one month per year,” Mamon said.
The problem is between PhilHealth and the hospital but we are the collateral damage here that suffered the consequences, Mamon said.
He also said the management has not issued to them a notice of termination since July 22.
They were supposed to be terminated on July 22 but their employment was extended to July 31.
“It was all imparted to us in verbal form,” he said.
Mamon said that the union will have a meeting with the management on Monday and that hopefully, they could come up with an agreement for a just compensation for the employees.
Mamon also said they got information that PhilHealth has already made the deliberation on BOLMSH accreditation on July 19 and that the result only needed the signature of PhilHealth Acting President Dr. Roy Ferrer.
Until now, the said recommendation was reportedly not signed by Ferrer.
“He really has no consideration and mercy on us despite that he is also a doctor,” Mamon claimed.
He also said that the hospital management informed them that only a skeletal force will continue working until all the remaining 20 patients will be totally discharged.
The dialysis for kidney patients will only be until Saturday, he added.
The management earlier assured them that they will immediately receive their respective separation pay, but yesterday, the management said their separation pay will be given in a month's time, he said.
During the press conference, the BOLMSH employees union was joined by Noly Rosales of National Federation of Labor Union-Kilusang Mayo Uno.
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has written to Ferrer asking him to hasten the review of the BOLMSH accreditation.
PhilHealth’s reconsideration would be the saving grace for the employees, Mamon said.