City Council accepts Duterte’s explanation

Members of the Cebu City Council were satisfied with the explanation made by acting hospital chief, Dr. Gloria Duterte, on why some patients of Cebu City Medical Center have to be admitted to private hospitals following the magnitude 7.2 earthquake last year.

Duterte appeared before the council during a session yesterday to submit her formal letter of explanation.

According to Duterte, the severe damage caused by the earthquake to the hospital building rendered the city-run health facility incapable of further treating critical patients.

Duterte said that after evaluating who are the critipaid patients, the hospital management had advised the family of the 38 patients to transfer to private hospitals.

However, the family of the patients refused to be transferred due to financial problem, prompting the hospital management to issue a letter of authority to them. The letter of authority guarantees that the patients’ bills will be by the city government.

The 38 critical patients were distributed to at least five private hospitals: Chong Hua Hospital (13), Adventist Hospital (10), Cebu Velez General Hospital (7), Perpetual Succour Hospital (4), and Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital (4). The patients have incurred a total bill of P2,205,607.52.

The amount will be charged against the city government’s share of the Pagcor funds. Under the guidelines on the use of Pagcor funds, the city government can use it for projects that involve the excal tension of emergency assistance to victims of natural disaster and other calamities and terrorism.

Meanwhile, the City Council has directed the City Engineering Office to keep an inventory of the generator sets and other related items from CCMC building, which is now subject of a demolition.

Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, who sponsored a resolution to this effect, wanted the engineering office to turn over the ‘salvaged’ items to the General Services Office for storage and safekeeping.