Davide, Garcia spar on hospitals
Winston says guv runs district hospitals like business; guv says Winston should visit facilities
CEBU Gov. Hilario Davide III challenged Atty. Winston Garcia to visit the district hospitals to see the improved health facilities, following accusations that the current administration operates these like a business enterprise.
In return, Winston, One Cebu Party’s gubernatorial candidate, challenged the governor to stop treating the hospitals as a business.
Winston said he is willing to sit down with the governor in a forum to discuss the matter.
During the One Cebu Party general assembly last Oct. 11, Garcia mentioned that the Provincial Government is “milking the poor, the sick and the dying” by letting the people pay for the fuel of the ambulance and driver’s allowance.
“Akong challenge niya (My challenge to Winston), let him see it. Visit the hospitals aron makita niya ang improvement sa time sa iyang igsoon ug sa time pud niya (so he can see the improvement and compare it during the time of her sister and his time) when he was a board member,” Davide said.
During the campaign, he said, he will tell the people what he has done in his three years.
“And then mohangyo kita nga sublian kita kay daghan pang trabahoonon. Daghan pang tiwasonon nga trabaho (we will ask the people to reelect us because there are still many things that we need to do and continue) like the upgrading of the hospitals and all the programs under the 6-point agenda,” he said.
Doctors
The Capitol has stopped outsourcing doctors and medical personnel. They now hire them full-time.
The district hospitals were also upgraded to Level 1, which means these can perform surgical operations.
But just last month, the hospitals were reclassified as primary health care facilities after the Department of Health raised its standards.
In a separate interview, Winston questioned the policy of the Capitol in running the district hospitals.
Winston said charging the dying patients to use the ambulance is “criminal and immoral.”
“Why can’t we provide the services for free? I am against that they are making the hospital a business. And I challenge them to stop making the hospital as a business and stop privatizing the hospitals,” he said.
The lawyer also asked why the Capitol could not afford to have CT Scan machines in the district hospitals.
“They can give multicabs to the municipalities
for free. They can spend millions of pesos for roads. They can go to Tokyo and Russia. But they cannot spend for gasoline for a dying patient... I don’t understand,” Garcia said.
Garcia said he is open to sit with Davide in a forum and discuss the progress of the hospitals, government policies and their disagreements.