PREVENTING HOSPITAL CLOSURE. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia with Lourdes Diocson (center), PhilHealth regional vice president for Western Visayas, and Councilor Em Ang (right) after the meeting with Bacolod Our Lady of Mercy Specialty Hospital officials on Friday night (June 22, 2018). Leonardia facilitated the meeting to stop the closoure of the hospital. (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO)
BACOLOD CITY -- Mayor Evelio Leonardia called for a meeting with officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and a private hospital here, which has announced its closure earlier this week.
“This issue is a matter of public interest and we must explore all avenues to prevent a disruption of health care services and even loss of jobs,” the mayor said during the meeting, which lasted for almost three hours on Friday night at the Bacolod City Government Center.
The Bacolod Our Lady of Mercy Specialty Hospital-Negros Healthcare Management Systems Inc. (BOLMSH- NHMSI) through its president Dr. Nestor Amante had served notice to Regional Director Johnson Cañete of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Western Visayas that effective June 19, the hospital was no longer accepting patients and was winding down its operations.
Since the PhilHealth was linked to the issue, Leonardia invited the two parties to a meeting and appealed to them to keep an open mind and pursue a solution for the good of the community.
Pending resolution of the issues, both parties agreed that the hospital will continue to operate until July 30, 2018, instead of closing down this week.
In a press statement, Lourdes Diocson, PhilHealth regional vice president for Western Visayas, thanked Leonardia for “bringing BOLMSH and PhilHealth together to clear up the issue on the closure” of the hospital, whose accreditation for 2018 has not been approved yet.
“Together, we worked out the options to continue the services of BOLMSH and to ensure the availability of services of the hospital to its clientele,” she said.
Diocson said the decision on the closure was made primarily by the hospital.
“The denial of the (PhilHealth) accreditation was because of the conviction of fraudulent activities which were committed in previous years under the previous management, Tiong Bi Inc.,” she said.
Diocson stressed that the impending closure is not because of the PhilHealth’s failure to pay the PHP25 million dues as claimed by the hospital.
It was not paid because the accreditation of BOLMSH for 2018 was not approved yet, she added.
However, the PhilHealth-Western Visayas Regional Office committed to request the Accreditation Committee to expedite the deliberation on the denied accreditation papers of the BOLMSH within 30 days, should the hospital file for a motion for reconsideration.
For his part, Amante thanked Leonardia, Councilor Em Ang, City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan as well as City Health Officer Ma. Carmela Gensoli for their respective assistance in arranging the meeting with PhilHealth.
Amante also acknowledged Gregorio Gustilo Jr., president of the Negrense Dialysis Group, who also attended the meeting, and who sent a letter of appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte to help the BOLMSH.
“Everybody was happy after the meeting. It was a win-win solution,” Amante said in a separate statement.
Meanwhile, Negrense labor group General Alliance of Workers Associations (GAWA) said 401 workers will be displaced by the hospital’s eventual shutdown.
GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho said the mismanagement by the previous administration have put workers at risk and the people involved should be held accountable. (PNA)
