DOH says VSMMC won’t be privatized

CEBU, Philippines -  The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center is not included in the plan to privatize government hospitals in the country.

Department of Health-7 assistant regional director Dr. Lakshmi Legaspi said there are plans for the VSMMC to be included in the proposal under House Bill 6069 or “the Act Creating National Government Hospital Corporations.”

Various groups strongly opposed the plan to privatize government-run hospitals, saying the move would increase fees for hospital bills.

Last month, Malacañang clarified that no privatization will take place.

It said public hospitals will instead be manned by a corporate entity in order to better facilitate their management.

DOH Secretary Enrique Ona had clarified the concern with The Philippine Star columnist Satur Ocampo.

Ona reacted to Ocampo’s column, which called on the government to stop privatizing health services and facilities in the country.

“Let me assure you that PPP is not privatization but simply a strategy to bring more resources to the health sector using private investments and practices under a government overarching authority,” Ona reportedly told Ocampo.

Legaspi also cleared the “privatization” concern, saying that a “corporatization” is different and is better because it is run by a board.

According to Legaspi, having a corporate entity to look over the operations of government hospitals does not mean the poor will not have access to free or less medical expenses.

Legaspi said that since they have endorsed the Health Insurance for the Poor under the National Household Targeting Survey for Poverty Reduction, the poor are now covered with a health insurance.

“Dili ta angay maguol if ma hospital sila kay covered na sila sa insurance and identified na sila daan sa government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development. If ma-admit sila, assured na sa healthcare sa mga government hospitals,” said Legaspi.

She said as long as the poor are enrolled with the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth), they are entitled to the benefits.

Legaspi said that the ‘No balance billing bed’ would still be applied, explaining that in case PhilHealth members would not have any balance left in their account, they would not be asked to pay anything since the hospital would cover the bills.But Legaspi added that only tertiary government-run hospitals like the VSMMC would be included in the proposal. — /LPM (FREEMAN)