Tupas, Suplico on collision course over hospital fees
Gov. Niel Tupas, Sr. sits beside his nephew Vice
Gov. Rolex Suplico before delivering his state of
the province address at the opening of the 9th
Sangguniang Panlalawigan last July 3, 2007.
A. Chris Fernandez photo
Gov. Niel Tupas, Sr. and his nephew, Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico are on a head on collision over hospital fees.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Iloilo eyes the lowering of fees collected by the district hospitals, prompting Tupas to express concern of dismal consequences.
Health care has gone beyond reach of the poor, Suplico observed.
"We will change the philosophy, the raison d' etre. Public hospitals exist to serve the poor," he said. The vice governor stressed that the Philippine Constitution guarantees free or affordable medical services to the people.
"We will push for a return to the pre-2005 rates," he said.
The previous batch of Board Members passed a resolution in 2005 increasing the various fees which the province's 12 district hospitals charge their patients. The ordinance was authored by now 5th district Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., Suplico's first cousin.
Although he respects the proposal of the local legislature, saying that it was within their powers, the governor explained that lowering the rates would be disadvantageous to the hospitals.
Cutting the service fees to their previous rates would lessen the hospital's viability and their ability to sustain themselves, the Governor Tupas warned.
He pointed what happened to public hospitals in the Capiz and Negros Occidental provinces that had to be closed because the provincial government cannot sustain their operations.
"Here we struggled to sustain the operation," Tupas said. What happened to Negros Occ. and in Capiz, he adds, might also happen to Iloilo.
At the same time though, Tupas justified the increased rates, saying that it has improved the services of the hospitals.
Although the Capitol still spends P200 million on its 12 hospitals as it used to do, they were able to raise P68 million with the increased rates, amount which they would spend for the improvement of the infrastructure, laboratories and operating rooms.
"If you take that away, where will we get the funds for the salary? For the benefits?" he expressed.
The present rates enabled the district hospitals to hire surgeons, Tupas said. Because of this, operations can be done in these hospitals without patients being referred to Iloilo City, the governor boasted.