Specialists charging fees at RMPH—probe team
ROXAS CITY – An ad hoc committee found that only the consultant specialists who are under contract with the government hospital are the ones who charge professional fees to clients.
Lawyer Jose Villanueva, provincial legal officer and ad hoc committee chairman, said that physicians who are surgeons and OB-gyne are charging professional fees at the Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital (RMPH) private rooms.
Villlanueva, in an interview, said that the professional fees are lower by 30% compared to that of other private hospitals. He cited as an example, caesarian operation is being charged P16,000 in private hospital while they only charged P10,000 at RMPH.
Although the said scheme is also practiced in other places, Villanueva said that it has no local legislation to that effect.
Earlier, Capiz Gov. Victor Tanco, Sr. formed an ad hoc committee to look into the mounting complaints regarding the alleged charging of professional fees by physicians employed at the government hospital here.
In a two-page Administrative Order (AO) No. 001-10 issued by the governor dated June 3, 2010, the probe team are composed of Villanueva, provincial legal officer, as chairman; Mr. Francisco D. Dariagan, acting provincial administrator; G. Antonio Arbis, budget office and Dr. Samuel Delfin, Provincial Health Office, members.
Tanco said that persistent reports reached the office of the governor alleging that some government-employed physicians had been charging professional fees for their medical services which at times are exorbitant and unreasonable.
“Such report/complaints have to be verified and investigated in order to determine its existence and legality in the light of the Civil Service Rules and Regulations, the pertinent provision of R.A. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code and the law governing economic enterprises,” the AO said.
The fact-finding committee is also tasked to make recommendation to the office of the governor within ten days which commenced last Friday.
Villanueva told The News Today (TNT) that the governor is very careful on the complaints that will affect his constituents adding that healthy Capizeños is one of his pillars in good governance.
