PUBLIC health workers are up in arms in protest against the government plans to privatize the country’s 26 public hospitals.
The
Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) branded as “anti-people” and
“anti-health workers” House Bills 6145 and 6069, and Senate Bill 3130,
which they said, will legalize privatization by opening the country’s
public hospitals to private investors as business partners.
The group also
expressed concern over the plan of the Aquino administration of removing
state subsidy for the operations of public hospitals.
Jossel
Ebesate, AHW president, said the passage of the bills in the House of
Representatives and the Senate and its expected signing into law will
“deliver the death sentence” to the already dismal state of people’s
health.
According
to Ebesate, considering the economic difficulties of the people,
combined with rising cost of hospital fees, expensive medicines and
spreading diseases like dengue and leptospirosis, the government should
drop its plan to transform public hospitals into corporations.
At present, fees are charged to the patient for all medical and other supplies used during treatment.
Most
public hospitals are charging the use of emergency rooms or require
deposit before treatment. Some hospitals reported that they are
currently charging certain fees on their charity beds.
The benefits of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) have limited coverage. The
group stressed that beneficiaries of PhilHealth have complained that
they have to shell out money to buy medicines and supplies which are not
made available in hospitals. They have still to pay the rest of their
hospital bills.
According
to Ebesate, corporatization will affect the security of tenure and
compromise the well-being of public health workers.
The
group said that at present, unfilled plantilla positions in the
hospitals are not being filled up but the government is hiring
contractual employees.
“Benefits
like hazard pay and other benefits are not funded as provided under
Magna Carta of Public Health Workers,” according to Ebesate.
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