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False
claims on hospitalization payments made on the Blue Card program
are exposed as city lawmakers ask for a full-blown inquiry
into the reported padding of hospital bills.
City
Health Officer Dr. Antonio Porticos revealed to the Chronicle
yesterday that investigations are ongoing on the alleged padding
by the Medical Mission Group Hospital and Health Services
Cooperative (Coop Hospital) as exposed by a Blue Card beneficiary.
The
Coop Hospital is among three hospitals accredited under the
city's Blue Card program which includes the Gov. Celestino
Gallares Regional Hospital and Englewood Hospital.
The
case stemmed from a report made by one Anastacia Bertumen,
an employee of Coop Hospital, who revealed in a letter to
City Mayor Dan Lim and Porticos that she availed of the Blue
Card Hospitalization program sometime last May to pay for
her maintenance medicines costing a little over P2,000.
The
medicines were taken from the Coop Hospital, Bertumen claimed.
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However,
Bertumen alleged she found out from fellow employees
at the Coop Hospital that the city government paid P50,000
out of her Blue Card to the Coop Hospital.
Bertumen
verified the information since the amount was so huge
compared to her account which is only around P2,000.
Accordingly,
in a letter submitted by Bertumen to the city mayor
and the city health officer, she was denied by hospital
authorities access about the details on why the amount
is so huge.
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She
allegedly confronted hospital administrators but was advised
to "keep silent" on the claim of the Coop Hospital
from the city government.
Moreover,
when Bertumen reportedly asked to get her Blue Card from the
hospital, she was allegedly told that "her card was used
in charging other hospital bills of other patients."
Fearing
that her Blue Card was used for false claims, Bertumen was
more alarmed to learn from a co-employee that the Coop Hospital
had claimed payment using her card of more than P50,000.
The
hospital reportedly made up documents supporting the claim,
including alleged confinement records, medicine bills and
others, according to Bertumen.
Coop
Hospital administrators allegedly threatened to dismiss Bertumen
from employment if she would divulge the transactions.
When
Bertumen finally decided to report the false claims, a few
days after, she received a memorandum from the hospital informing
her that she was preventively suspended for 15 days for unauthorized
transactions.
Bertumen's
counsel, Atty. Dodelon Sabijon, stated in the same letter
to the mayor that his client "would have wanted a formal
investigation so that she could peruse all the documents which
were used to support the claim for payment by the Coop Hospital
from the city government, but to her dismay, the hospital
authorities verbally told her not to return to work at the
hospital…"
Sabijon
manifested that an investigation is needed as other Blue Cards
may be used by other accredited hospitals for padded claims.
HOSPITAL'S
SIDE
Coop
Hospital chief Dr. Cirilo Jalad bared to the Chronicle that
they are also conducting their own investigations through
its grievance and ethics committee headed by lawyer Eliseo
Labaria.
When
result of the investigation is finalized, findings will be
submitted to the city government, he said.
Jalad
warned that Bertumen should be able to support her claims
against the hospital as these were very serious allegations.
SP
PROBE
In
its regular session this morning, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan
(SP) will order in its session a full-blown inquiry in the
alleged false claims.
City
Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso said the alleged racket will
be jointly investigated by the committee on public accountability
and investigation chaired by Kag. Anne Mariquit Oppus and
the committee on health led by Kag. Leonides Borja. (With
reports from Ven Arigo)
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