Pia lauds Mindanao hospitals for not joining 'holiday' protest Crucial dialogue tomorrow

Senator Pia S. Cayetano today lauded the decision of private hospitals in Mindanao not to join members of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAP) in its threat to stage a "hospital holiday" this month in protest of Republic Act 9439, or the Hospital Detention Law.

"It is encouraging to know that hospitals in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City have chosen to put the interest of their patients above their own position on the issue," said Cayetano, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography and one of the main authors of RA 9439.

It has been reported that the two biggest private hospitals in Davao City, namely the Davao Doctors Hospital and Brokenshire Hospital will not join the protest. Officials of the Cagayan de Oro Medical Center, Cagayan de Oro Polymedic General Hospital, Inc. and Cagayan Capitol General Hospital in Cagayan de Oro City have also taken a similar stand.

"I just hope that other hospital owners would adopt the same attitude, because a hospital holiday will only serve to aggravate the current conflict and risk the wellbeing of the patients they have sworn to serve," she continued.

"I also hope that a breakthrough can be achieved in the dialogue scheduled tomorrow to put to rest all issues and avert future protests," she said.

Cayetano has been invited to join the dialogue between the Department of Health (DOH) and PHAP tomorrow morning in relation to the crafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the newly signed law.

"The most common misconception about the law is that it automatically allows patients to pack up and leave the hospital without paying their bills by just citing their poverty or financial incapacity. But this is not the case," she pointed out.

"The new law clearly states that charity patients can only be discharged from the hospital upon executing a promissory note covering their unpaid bill. The promissory note must be secured by a mortgage or by a guarantee of a co-maker, who will be jointly and severally liable with the patient for the unpaid obligation."

"This law only applies to charity patients who make up a small minority of the total number of private hospital patients. The law does not cover paying patients, or those in private rooms."

Cayetano acknowledges that the problem of unpaid hospital bills is but a symptom of a much bigger crisis in the health sector which could be dealt with through comprehensive reforms, including a bigger health budget, approval of the bill lowering drug prices, and pursuing universal Philhealth coverage.

Last week, the lady senator called for an accounting of the share of the DOH and Philhealth from government collections under the higher Sin Tax and Expanded Value Added Tax laws, saying that not a single cent has been remitted by the finance department for these agencies in defiance of the social earmarking provisions of said laws.

She has also committed to prioritize the Cheaper Medicines Bill on the health committee's agenda, and push for a bigger slice for public hospitals in the proposed 2008 National Budget.