City pays CLMMRH

When City Mayor Monico Puentevella “paid” yesterday P10 million to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital there was no more accounting. He did not count the cost anymore – whether the previous administration had incurred debts from the CLMMRH, how much the amount in terms of medicines and hospitalizations for the patients.

Dr. Julius Drilon, the CLMMRH director, also did not start accounting for what was owed.

I just don’t want to start judging whether the present or the past administration actually owes the CLMMRH how much. No need for that. We just pay what has to be paid, Puentevella said.

Instead, what happened was the beautiful possibilities that are in store for city residents with the prompt payment of its debts by the city government.

Dr. Drilon, for example, was citing the re-programming of the heart, lung, and kidney center which was the original idea proposed by then former Rep. Puentevella.

“A study showed that some of the cardiovascular means and methods used could not also be implemented by the city because of lack of adequate trained personnel to undertake delicate cardiovascular procedures,” said Drilon.

Dr. Ona of the DOH decided to realign the entire project to what is doable. In short, the kidney portion of the project had to be shelved aside for the moment until we shall be able to have the space and the money to buy more of the kidney machines.

He cited the imperative need for the more affordable kidney machines other than used for dialysis. He said Dr. Ona had insisted on the use of the more affordable machines against the one currently in use that could impoverish the average Filipino family.

He also declared that equipment used in cardiovascular surgery may not be affordable and the trained personnel needed lacking.

In short, we cannot just immediately implement the program according to the original because it was not doable, was how he put it.

Besides, the cardiovascular surgery does not consist simply of opening up the heart of a person, then sewing it up then letting him or her go. You have to have the rehabilitation post surgery, including psychological counseling, he added.

In short, there are a lot more things that are needed for the implementation of a particular program, not just what appears to be on the surface.

Dr. Drilon also pointed out that he is often with Dr. Salome Biñas, the city health officer. And “We often talk about common problems,” he said.

In short, one of the major problems confronting the CLMMRH authorities is that almost 65 percent of the patients are from Bacolod City.

The problem is that even non-tertiary patients are found seeking admission in the CLMMRH, Dr. Drilon said.

Dr. Drilon asked city Mayor Puentevella to consider reinforcing the number of traffic enforcers especially along Burgos Street where the Mother and Child hospital is being completed.

***

So what happens to the killed passengers and the wounded or injured now in hospital. Based on the report by the LTFRB, they found that the bus that figured in that fatal plunge in the Mountain Province road from Benguet had tampered equipment.

Thus, it was understandable that the families of the bereaved had complained that not a single employee or representative from the Florida Bus Company had approached them offering to help defray some of the expenses of hospitalizations and burials.

Of course, understandable. Who will pay the insurance of the fatalities? No insurance company would pick up the tab for that. After all, the bus could have been covered by the insurance.

So what does LTFRB do? What must it do?

This is something that the government firm must be able to untangle. It was the government neglect that the bus firm had gotten away with virtually murder.

This is something that if often glossed over by the government investigators. But that is true when the insurance covers the bus or carrying vehicles. But, if a case like Florida occurs, what happens?

That is something which the government must answer.*

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