Police open to enter pact with Chong Hua

Police Regional Office (PRO-7) is open to signing a memorandum of agreement with Chong Hua Hospital following a recent rift over the hospital's refusal to admit an injured cop before a P10,000 deposit has been made.

PRO-7 Chief Superintendent Jose Mario Espino said that a security officer from Chong Hua Hospital has initiated a move to make amends by coming up with a collaboration that will benefit police.

“We are just awaiting yung final dialogue namin. We are calling for a dialogue to which (they are) open naman,” Espino said.

Espino earlier sent a letter of complaint to the management of Chong Hua Hospital after Police Officer 3 David Naraja was reportedly denied medical services.

Naraja was wounded in the face during a police operation in Barangay Dumlog, Talisay City for the capture of murder suspect, Jessie Largo, who was slain during the operation.

In a letter to Espino, the hospital denied the allegations of non-admittance, stating that several medical procedures were performed on Naraja, and that the P10,000 deposit was a misunderstanding pertaining to room charges.

Naraja was later transferred to Cebu Doctor's University Hospital (CDUH) where PNP Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa visited him on October 18 and awarded him a PNP Wounded Personnel Medal.

According to Chief Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, PRO-7's deputy regional director for administration, they are still in the early stages of a planned partnership with CDUH on granting discounts on medical services for police, following UC Med's move giving 10 percent discount to cops on selected medical services last September.

He said that they are consulting with regional health services to check on other hospitals they can partner with.

“Maganda at maraming police ang matutulungan natin para di na mauulit yung nangyari sa hospital na nagkaroon ng problema,” Mabanag said.

ANTI-DEPOSIT LAW

In a visit to Naraja in his home in Barangay Luz, Cebu City, Senator Risa Hontiveros said that the hospital should not act in that manner especially in a life threatening case like Naraja's.

Hontiveros, the principal author of the recently passed Enhanced Anti-Hospital Deposit Law, said that what happened to Naraja is a wakeup call for hospitals.

Najara, however, said he is not pursuing any case against the hospital.

"Dili na lang ko mokiha," said Naraja, who was given a Titanium plate on his face courtesy of another hospital who treated him for free.

Hontiveros also went to the Department of Health-7 (DOH-7) and personally talked with Regional Director Jaime Bernadas to follow up on Naraja's case.

Bernadas said that they already forwarded the incident report they received to their head office which has the authority to investigate matters involving tertiary hospitals.

"But we can initiate an investigation," Bernadas told The FREEMAN.

"Whether this incident was intentional or not, this must not be tolerated. There should be zero tolerance for cases such as this,” Hontiveros said in a separate statement.

Hontiveros, who is also the ViceChairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said that she has already requested a dialogue with Espino of the Police Regional together with the DOH-7. Her office will also talk to the management of Chong Hua Hospital to get its side.

"Through these dialogues, I hope to get to the bottom of this issue and for the appropriate authorities, especially the DOH, to find ways of being more proactive in responding to reports such as this, and properly implementing the Enhanced Anti-Hospital Deposit Law. The policy of asking for any deposit as a prerequisite for confinement or medical treatment of a patient must become a thing of the past. It has no space in any democratic society,” Hontiveros said.

Under Hontiveros' law, stricter penalties would be served on hospitals that would demand any deposit or other forms of advance payment in exchange for medical treatment of an emergency patient.

Penalties now include imprisonment of four to six years plus fines ranging from P100,000 to P1,000,000.

The measure also gives authority to the DOH to revoke the license of a heath facility after three repeated violations.

Hontiveros was in Cebu City yesterday as guest speaker for the Youth Conference on Family Planning.