The City Government of Kabankalan has begun processing the legal documents for the planned takeover of the city’s private hospital, which will be converted into a public medical institution.
City mayor Benjie Miranda told reporters on Friday, May 1, that the city government is now in the process of taking over the management of Dr. Gumersindo Garcia, Sr. Memorial Hospital, making it a public institution and making healthcare more accessible to its constituents.
“Since nga indi man amo na ka dali mag build sang sina nga hospital nga level 1, level 2, kun sa diin nga kompleto sang gamit, so umpasahan ta ina dira,” he said. (Since it is not that easy to build a hospital that is level 1, level 2, with already completed facilities, so, we will start there.)
The hospital, known as Kabankalan Maternity Hospital when Kabankalan was still a town, adopted its current name in 1968.
Miranda said that the hospital falls under the category of an Infirmary, and so he said, the city wanted it to improve its category to make healthcare more accessible.
An Infirmary has inpatient beds capable of providing medical diagnosis and treatment of health conditions, as well as simple surgical procedures, but lacks one or more components required of a hospital.
Miranda also recognized the difficulties the city’s constituents face when seeking treatment at private hospitals, which are “costly.”
He said that the city would help address this issue once the full transition and the required facilities are in place, while also noting the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) YAKAP program.
PhilHealth is a state-run insurer that provides universal health coverage to all Filipinos.
The mayor also said that, unlike private hospitals, where patients who cannot afford a down payment sometimes have difficulty accessing healthcare, government-run hospitals are not allowed to refuse patients or deny them accommodation.
It is also worth noting that the Philippines has enacted Republic Act No. 10932, in 2017 that “in emergency or serious cases, it shall be unlawful for any proprietor, president, director, manager or any other officer, and/or medical practitioner or employee of a 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 to any patient, confinement or medical treatment of a patient in such hospital or medical clinic.”
Miranda said that the takeover might include absorbing the company’s current employees into the city government, so they could be eligible for government benefits.
He added that the takeover’s legal process has begun and that it is already at the city’s legal office, citing “due process”.
“Siguro ma stop ang operation niya for how many months, kay aton e improve kag panamion.. may mga rehabilitation nga matabo,” the mayor said. (Maybe the operation might halt for a couple of months because we will improve and make it beautiful.. There will be rehabilitation that will take place.)
Miranda said that the hospital name will be retained, though he hinted at a potential addition to the name that would clearly indicate it is city-managed, making it a “hallmark.”
If the plan is materialized, the city will have a total of three public hospitals, in addition to the Lorenzo D. Zayco District Hospital and the Kabankalan City Hospital.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.