House Bill 6069, which seeks the corporatization of government hospitals in the country, needs to be studied and submitted to a wider consultation with all the stakeholders, Bacolod Councilor Em Ang said yesterday.

The Bill authored by Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez Jr. and (Neg. Occ. 2ndDistrict) Rep. Alfredo Marañon was discussed and approved by the Committee on Health on May 16, 2012.

Ang said there is no need to corporatize public hospitals to improve their services. She said she is not in favor of corporatizing since it will make government hospitals government-owned and controlled corporations.

She cited, for example, government agencies which were corporatized and became GOCC’s that are now involved in many issues and scandals.

Ang, a registered nurse, said Mayor Evelio Leonardia has his medical assistance program at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, together with other government officials, in addition to the subsidy being provided by the government to the hospital. But still there are many people who can hardly afford even basic health care services.

Ang said health care is a vital function of government and should not be delegated to a system which has a profit orientation.

She appealed to the authors of HB 6069 to withdraw the measure and conduct further consultation.

SNOWBALLING

Leonardia said that the opposition to the proposed Bill authored by Golez has snowballed, citing the resolution of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Zamboanga City.

The bill intends to convert the 26 public hospitals into government owned and controlled corporations and turn them into independent money- making corporations responsible for generating their own funding.

Leonardia said a government hospital, in nature, is supposed to help the disadvantaged or the poor because that was how it was conceived.

Despite the fact that such hospitals are subsidized by government, the poor still have a hard time paying hospital bills, he said.

The city also provides assistance to the CLMMRH through the “Bulig ini nga Gugma (BING)” and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, through medical assistance to the poor residents of the city.

If the hospital is “corporatized,” he does not believe that it can still maintain its sense of charity. As a natural consequence, it will now think in terms of its business opportunities and not of the socialized approach, he said.

Leonardia said “We are exploring the possibility that there are big businesses behind this with personal vested business interests.” Other services of government can be privatized, but if it concerns health, it will be critical, he said.

Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson also opposes the move, saying that if it becomes a corporation, it will be profit-oriented.

The basic job of government is to provide basic services. How can it survive as a corporation if it does not become a profit center, he asked.

Earlier, Golez had said that he is a 1000 percent against the privatization of existing government hospitals. The bill he filed seeks to make government hospitals GOCC’s, and not privatize them, he said.

“If there are other camps moving to privatize said hospitals, I will be the first one to vehemently oppose it,” Golez said.

He said the corporatization of hospitals will help make medical services for the poor better, faster and more accessible, and that he has no intention whatsoever to seek their privatization.*CGS

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KMU REACTION

Meanwhile, the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno Negros yesterday urged Golez to withdraw House Bill 6069.

The labor center called the bill as “anti-worker” because the corporatization of public hospital will privatize public hospitals facilities and deprive patients of free medicines and check up, the KMU press release said.

KMU, in its press release, lambasted Golez saying that, instead of pushing for privatization of government hospitals, he should support the call to increase state budget for public hospitals and increase wages of medical workers, instead of corporatization.

"Corporatization will further deny workers, urban and other marginalized sectors, because state-owned hospitals will be run as businesses to raise more funds for profit and not as public service," Ronald Ian Evidente, KMU Negros spokesman, said.

Negrenses must unite and oppose the passage of House Bill 6069 because this will push for commercialization of the delivery of the health care service, KMU also said.*

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