CEBU City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has agreed to a proposal increasing the rates for certain medical and health services at the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), Guba Community Hospital and Cebu City Health Department (CCHD) by up to nearly 800 percent.
This as the facilities’ current revenues are insufficient to cover their operational costs.
The City Government has been disbursing at least P500 million for CCMC alone every year to cover the hospital’s operation and maintenance, Garcia said in a press conference on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.
Proposal
Garcia reacted to City Councilor Jocelyn “Joy” Pesquera’s proposed amendment to Section 67, Chapter 18 of the Omnibus Tax Ordinance that she endorsed during the regular session on Oct. 16.
Pesquera’s proposal, if approved, would adjust rates on several laboratory tests, some of which are routine urinalysis—from P30 to P263, a 777 percent increase; pregnancy test--from P100 to P385, a 285 percent increase; complete blood count—from P60 to P368, a 513.3 percent increase; and routine stool exam—from P30 to P255, a 750 percent increase.
The councilor said Section 67 was last amended 14 years ago.
No objection
Garcia did not object to Pesquera’s proposal for an adjustment in rates, saying the City’s “zero billing policy” will continue.
He said the councilor’s proposal, if approved, would not affect patients’ bill coverage, as the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) and the Malasakit Center, a one-stop shop for medical and financial assistance, would still handle medical expenses.
The rate adjustments will align with the fees charged under Philhealth packages, which will, in turn, boost the reimbursement claims of the city-owned hospitals and medical facilities, Garcia added.
Doctor’s visit and professional fees are to be covered by Philhealth.
According to Philhealth, if a claim is approved, the state insurer will reimburse the healthcare provider based on the benefit package’s maximum allowable cost for various medical procedures and services.
No charge
CCMC Medical Director Peter Mancao told SunStar Cebu in a text message on Monday that the hospital will not charge patients, whether they are residents of Cebu City or not, as long as they are enrolled in Philhealth.
“Generally, our patients are Cebu City residents,” said Mancao, a physician.
Representatives from CCMC, CCHD and Guba Community were present during the regular session last Oct. 16. They did not object to the proposed rate adjustment, citing the need to cover the rising cost of operation.
CCMC completion
Meanwhile, Garcia said Monday that he was still determined with the completion of the construction of the CCMC building.
Garcia said he has no longer allocated funds for the proposed 2025 budget for the hospital’s civil works.
The funding will be covered with the rebidding of P700 million and the P205 million donation from private individuals to complete the 10-storey CCMC, Garcia said.
The P700 million is savings from a previously terminated P1 billion contract in 2022. This contract was for Phase 4 of CCMC’s construction, which was canceled due to delays. / EHP