Union workers buck PGH's anti-poor policy

MANILA, Philippines - Union officers and members of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Manila yesterday appealed to UP president Alfredo Pascual for assistance concerning unfair hospital rates imposed on indigent patients of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

The All UP Workers Union expressed opposition to the recently approved “anti-poor policy on Class D rates for the underserved and underprivileged patients” of the PGH.

They asked Pascual to rescind the PGH-Board of Regent’s decision.

“The Class D or indigent patients of PGH represent only 12 percent of the total number of patients there, and only a few are accommodated under the no charge (NC) policy in diagnostic procedures,” union president Benjamin Santos lamented.

Last June 8, PGH director Jose Gonzales issued a memorandum imposing new rates for Class D or indigent patients.

However, protests were initiated by the UP workers, students, doctors, health workers and patients of UP-PGH, prompting Gonzales to suspend the implementation of the memorandum.