The chief of hospital of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City denied reports that they have refused patients who want to avail of the health program of the Monico Kabuhi Ko.

Dr. Julius Drilon yesterday said they do not refuse patients from availing of medical consultation or confinement and dared those who made these allegations to validate their claims.

The issue arose after the city incurred accumulated hospital bills under its MKK program amounting to P15 million since January 2015.

The city government (MKK) and the CLMMRH had entered into a memorandum of agreement where the city committed to infuse seed money amounting P5 million for its health program.

"Let those who claim that we have refused them from availing of medical services to come out in the open and speak up,” Drilon said.

“Under the law, no medical practitioner can refuse those who seek medical consultation,” he said.

Drilon said it is not true that MKK patients are being refused or rejected from availing of medical care from the regional hospital, whether they belong to any political camp, color or breed.

They are being admitted by the hospital and to claim that they were refused admission is totally far-fetched, he said.

Drilon said that since January, they have been sending statement of accounts to the city to settle their hospital bills. “Apparently they did not pay us religiously,” he said.

He said there are some senators and congressmen who also put their respective health funds into the regional hospital, where they deduct the bills of patients they refer to them.

“The same is true with the city. However, they were not able to comply with the agreement so their hospital bills accumulated and this led to the Commission on Audit issuing us an audit observation memorandum calling our attention to the hospital bills of the city, or MKK,” Drilon said.

The city government settled its bills last October by paying the regional hospital P15 million," he said.

Drilon said if he will not comply with COA's audit observation memorandum, there is a possibility that the hospital bills under the MKK might be charged to him, which he does not want to happen.

Under the MOA, if the city has consumed 80 percent of its health funds, it should immediately replenish it, he said.

For now the city has a clean record. But he just wants to correct a wrong impression or report that they are refusing MKK patients, he added.

Drilon said the regional hospital has a mandate to care for patients who seek their medical services.

“It should be clear to all that the regional hospital operates based on its mandate under the law and the Department of Health, and that its operation is beyond politics," he added.*CGS

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