Health workers urge SC to stop orthopedic center privatization

MANILA, Philippines - A group of health workers on Friday called on the Supreme Court to stop the privatization the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC).

Health workers made the plea after the High Court issued orders for the Department of Health and Malacañang to comment on the privatization of the POC.

"While we are happy that the high court started to act on our petition for prohibition of [the] POC privatization, we are disappointed that the high court did not issue the temporary restraining order (TRO), meaning the project will go on, even if it threatens poor patients’ access to free services the and health workers’ job security,"Jossel Ebesate, national president of Alliance of Health Workers, said.

Ebesate said that without the TRO, government officials, like Health Secretary Enrique Ona and Undersecretary Ted Herbosa, will continue the privatization of public hospitals and public health services.

He cited the recent announcement of Ona to the public that 72 DOH-retained hospitals throughout the country are up for public-private partnership privatization.

He said that privatization schemes, like revenue enhancement or income generation, are continually being implemented in public hospitals, bleeding poor patients dry through charges in previously free services, supplies and medicines.

Public hospitals like the Philippine General Hospital, Tondo Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, and Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital are collecting fees even from Class D or poorest charity patients for suturing, wound dressing, IV insertion, complete blood count, X-ray, normal obstetric delivery and other services and procedures.

"While we respect and abide by the legal processes, we hope our Supreme Court justices will open their minds and hearts to the difficulties and hardships of poor patients continually being victimized by privatization and other anti-health policies.

"We hope that unlike the executive department led by President Aquino and Secretary Ona, the justices will hear the plea of the suffering people," Ebesate said.