Without the White Coat
Hospitals going on strike
Some private hospitals will stage a strike, dubbed as "hospital holiday" on Monday in relation to the implementation of Republic Act 9439 or Hospital Detention Law.
The said law prohibits the detention of patients in hospitals and medical clinics on grounds of non-payment of hospital bills or medical expenses. Those who drafted it have the country and the poor Filipinos in mind. But at the other end are hospitals that will be negatively affected by this law.
A five to 10-bedroom hospital can afford to go on hospital holiday, but for one that serves 100 to 300 patients, this will spell disaster. By definition, the hospital holiday takes place when a medical institution closes its doors to the public and will cease operations for a certain time.
This is a dilemma because hospitals are dealing with human life and medical practitioners are bound by the Hippocratic Oath. Thus, a doctor cannot walk out from the service or set something that will be detrimental to a patient's life. Emergencies don't have schedules; they happen. That is why doctors have to be on hand 24 hours a day and seven times a week.
Now, hospitals are asking: Who will foot the bill if the patient incurs expenses and can't pay for them? Will the government pay the hospitals?
RA 9439 is open to abuse by those who would stay in a hospital and won't pay for one's expenses. It's even worse for Filipinos who are used to the "dole-out" system.
This may be a landmark law that is pro-poor and pro-people but this should not let the hospitals bear the brunt of paying for a patient's expenses. The government should devise a way where stakeholders won't be in the losing end.