DOH urged to look into 'pawnshop practice' at hospital

Manila, Philippines -  The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) asked the Department of Health yesterday to investigate the “pawnshop practice” of the DOH-run Philippine Children Medical Center (PCMC) in Quezon City.

In a statement, AHW president Jossel Ebesate said the DOH should not let this practice continue because it defeats the purpose of running a government hospital.

“Public hospitals are intended to provide health services and treat patients, not to add to their hardships. Poor patient-victims should be accorded justice through an immediate investigation and implementing sanctions,” he said.

During a budget hearing of the DOH Monday, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casino revealed that PCMC was taking items as collateral from patients who could not pay their hospital bill. He showed documents about invitation for a bidding of these items – 92 watches, 13 MP3 or MP4 players and 46 pieces of jewelry, among others.

“Instead of extracting collateral from patients who could not pay the bills, public hospitals like PCMC should demand higher government subsidy, Ebesate said.