Four Eversley pharmacy staff probed for alleged anomalies

CEBU, Philippines - Four personnel of the Eversley Child Hospital and Sanitarium are being investigated for alleged unauthorized dispensing of medicines at the pharmacy.

The office of sixth District Representative Luis Gabriel Quisumbing is investigating Pyr Jakosalem, the head pharmacist, and three job order employees, namely, Gay Pacunla, Josephine Caperoso, and Eden Magis.

A separate complaint was lodge in the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas against the same workers.

Jessie Perez, 6th District Office manager together and seven others who are not hospital personnel form the investigating team.

Perez in an interview said they would want to know how the medicines were dispensed after receiving a bill for close to P4 million as replenishment for the medicines dispensed.

Perez said a portion of Quisumbing's Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) has been allocated for the Eversley Hospital where indigent constituents in his district could avail of free medications and medicines from the hospital.

However, the congressman's office was alarmed when it received two bills amounting to millions of pesos from the hospital asking for replenishments. The first bill amounting to P1.5 million was received on the first week of May.

The second bill worth P2.2 million came on the second week of May.

The hospital said the P1.5 million bill should be disregarded because of an error in the computation. It said what was chargeable to PDAF was the P2.2 million bill.

However, the district office found out that medical prescriptions were altered and tampered with while other medical prescriptions bear no signatures of doctors that prescribed the medicines.

It was also discovered that the pharmacy dispense medicines in boxes and in bulks especially to patients who were children.

"Naay usa ka bata didto gi-releasan og pila ka box nga paracetamol ug two bottles ug multi-vitamins and on the same day the same patient gi-isyuhan na sad og boxes of medicines," Perez said.

This was the reason why he immediately set a meeting with Dr. Joanri Riveral, the OIC Chief of hospital last May 31,asking for clarifications.

It was then found out that the prescriptions were approved by the pharmacist and PDAF coordinator Gina Semblante even without the signatures of doctors.

To avail of PDAF, Perez said the patient should bring the prescription to the pharmacy and have the medicines priced, after which it will be endorsed to the PDAF coordinator using the referral letter from the district office.

When approved, the prescription with the signature of PDAF coordinator will be take it to the pharmacy.

The PDAF also applies to hospital bills and other laboratory examinations.

Jakosalem on the other hand denied the allegations of tampering some prescriptions.

She said her colleagues in the pharmacy also dispense medicines if the signature of the PDAF coordinator appears.

Jakosalem said the prescriptions are given to her after the dispersing of medicines for their monthly report.

"Laing pharmacist ang mu dispense ana. Usahay pud sila ang moestorya ni Gina (referring to Semblante)," she said while pointing out that Semblante approves all prescriptions.

Jakosalem admitted having her own prescription but she only asked for mefenamic acid and alleged that Semblante was the one who added some medicines in her prescriptions. But she only took one box of mefenamic acid.

However, Perez said Jakosalem could not wash her hands because being the head pharmacist she should not heed to Semblante's orders because Semblante is not a doctor at all and is not even a personnel of the hospital but just a mere employee of the district office.

She should have the last say in the Pharmacy section being its head.

Perez on the other hand said Semblante was suspended last June 8 pending results of investigation that will be conducted by the fact-finding board.

Last June 09, Dr. Riveral filed a complaint against Jakosalem and three other job order employees in the Office of the Ombudsman for anomalies in the pharmacy.

But JaKosalem claimed she is not aware of any case filed against her in the office of the Ombudsman. (FREEMAN)