Health Workers’ Call – Ona Resign!

PRESS STATEMENT
November 24, 2012

Reference:

Mr. Jossel Ebesate, RN
President Alliance of Health Workers
Mobile No. 0918-9276381

Mr. Robert Mendoza, RM
Secretary General Alliance of Health Workers
Mobile No. 0932-4649757

“Depende, depende sa usapan,” was Sec. Ona’s response to a TV interview regarding status of the health workers’ security of tenure with the corporatization of public hospitals. Straight from the Sec. Ona’s mouth, this is the most blatant and eloquent proof of his ultimate disregard for the welfare of the health workers - the front liners in the health care delivery. Health workers’ security of tenure is among the contentious aspects with the privatization of public hospitals and health care delivery.

The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW), for the interest of the public especially the poor, clarifies its stand vis a vis his statements point by point:

1. Corporatization is not privatization, for us the name does not matter; it could be by any name. What matters is –how will health delivery be availed by the patients, will it be free upon the control of public hospitals by private partner investors? Our experience with the corporatized GOCC hospitals – the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) and the Lung Center of the Philippines free services are no longer available. At NKTI, the “no pay, no hook policy” has been the norm for patients undergoing dialysis. At PHC, a long list of patients, mostly indigents are waiting for operation and a number died along the wait.

2. Services will improve, according to Sec. Ona. It is a YES, no doubt. Private investors will improve their facilities to achieve a high level of competition for a lucrative return of investment. But will they be free? With GOCC’s as example, NO is the sure answer! Improved facilities do not translate into free services for patients especially the poor. Private investors’ main concern is a fat ROI, the very essence of their being private and not delivery of free public services.

3. PhilHealth will take care of the patients’ needs. At the very least, this is a very debatable issue. DOH endorses Philhealth as almost a ”cure all” for the Filipinos’ health problems. On the ground, however, experiences prove otherwise. If only Sec. Ona listens to what really is the true effects of this pre-need plan on the poor Filipinos’ health needs. Philhealth is part of privatization of health services, thus also for profits.

Sec. Ona claims, we do not understand or refuse to understand what he is saying to which we say, “We do understand you, but not believe you!”. More so, we gather information from both local and international experiences, compare and analyze data which led us to conclude what we are pointing out to him.

We might as well say,” Sec. Ona does not understand or refuse to understand our side”. Our message is clear and simple. When private investors are in control of hospitals and health facilities and health services are all paid for with no free services even for the indigents, it is privatization. DOH Health Financing Scheme clearly says that by 2020, public hospitals are fully corporatized with zero subsidy from the government.

We reiterate that we do not focus on terminologies like PPP, corporatization, privatization. These will just mislead people. Our bone of contention are the implications of these government neoliberal policies and programs, zealously implemented by Sec. Ona, to the Filipino people’s constitutional right to health which is government’s and not private investors’ responsibility. And the health workers’ security of tenure, the front liners in the health care delivery system that has not even been considered in the government's plan to privatize public hospitals.

Thus, Ona resign! is a most fitting call.#

Privatization Kills

Press Statement

November 19, 2012

References:

Mr. Jossel I. Ebesate

National President, AHW

Contact No: 09189276381

Mr. Sean Vilchez

President, National Orthopedic Center Employees Association-AHW
Contact No: 09497767142

Health workers and members of various organizations including those from urban poor communities capped their week-long “kalampag” against privatization of health with a black coffin inscribed with “Privatization Kills” to dramatize the death of public health care system and its adverse effects to people’s health.  The “Privatization Kills” coffin was paraded in front of DOH and Malacanang this Monday, November 19 for the National Day of Protest Against Privatization of Public Hospitals and Health Services.

   

From DOH the group marched to Malacanang to deliver a strong message to President Benigno Aquino III to stop the privatization of public hospitals and health services. Leaders and members of trade unions, peasants, women, government employees, students, teachers, health professionals and religious joined the march and the program at Mendiola.

“Pnoy’s health policies are so insensitive to the already dismal health situation of the people. “Privatization kills” is the most fitting description of his PPP program; sale of public hospitals like the  Philippine Orthopedic Center and Mental Hospital and privatization of health care with the corporatization of 26 public hospitals nationwide,” Jossel Ebesate, Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) president declared. 

                       

Health leaders took turns in assailing the “Death” of public health care and its ill effects on the patients, the health workers and the Filipinos in general especially the poor.  “The poor patients at Jose Reyes and San Lazaro will be further deprived of health services they so badly need. Mental patients will be dislocated and their treatment uncertain after the Mental hospital is sold. At worse, they might add to the increasing number of “taong grasa”.  What will happen to the crippled and disabled who have been confined for a long time at the Orthopedic Center with its sale  as part of  P’noys privatization of health?,” lamented Sean Velchez, president of NOHWU & Spokesperson of Network Opposed to Privatization (NOP).

        

“The people will continue to oppose P’noy’s privatization of public hospitals and health services.  The Aquino administration must stop yielding to the impositions of international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to cut budget for social services to pay the country’s huge foreign debts.  Health is a basic human right and it is the government’s main responsibility to ensure this right!  ” concluded Dr. Geneve Rivera-Reyes of the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD).

In Baguio City, a delegation of health workers of Baguio General Hospital (BGH) trooped to the City Hall to support the City Council’s resolution against corporatization of BGH. A program was held to protest corporatization at the People’s Park. Protest actions were held in Samar, Iloilo and Davao to express their vehement opposition to Aquino’s policies and programs to privatize health.### 

AHW to DOH Secretary Ona: Defend Health Workers Rights and Benefits

Press Statement
November 11, 2012

Reference: Mr. Jossel I. Ebesate
National President
Contact No. 09189276381 

The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) warily considers the recent assurance of the DOH Secretary Ona, "that by the end of this year, all of these so-called doctorless municipalities will be filled." Wary because, while such move has been long overdue, Ona himself admitted that some of these physicians would serve up to 50,000 population which is more than doubled the WHO prescribed doctor to population ratio of 1:20,000. But we are much more wary on the lack of support by the Department of Health to these municipal doctors.

To recall, sometime ago, a doctor and a graduate of the UP College of Medicine assigned somewhere in Agusan  came in conflict with the local military while in pursuit of his duties and functions. DOH merely reassigned said doctor to the DOH Regional Office without even seeking an investigation to uphold the right of said doctor. This also left the municipality without a doctor for some time.

Just recently, the Department of Health sits idly as personnel of the entire Municipal Health Office of Tarragona, Davao Oriental are being harassed by the local officials led by the Mayor of Tarragona. To date, the Municipal Health Officer is given termination order without due process and the salaries of rural health midwives and other local health workers withheld, also without due process. Unbelievably, the root cause of all these harassment was their petition to the Sangguniang Bayan for the release of their monetary benefits provided under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers (RA 7305).

We therefore challenge DOH Secretary Ona, to immediately intervene, in behalf of our fellow public health workers in Tarragona, Davao Oriental. We are further challenging him to safeguard the rights of all public health workers in the country, including their monetary benefits as provided by law.#

Position on House Bill 6145 and Other Bills on Corporatization of Public Hospitals

Position Paper (edited) submitted by the Alliance of Health Workers to the Committee on Health, House of Representatives, Philippine Congress upon its invitation for public hearing (eventually postphoned) on September 4, 2012.

September 3, 2012

Reference:

Jossel I. Ebesate, RN

National President

We, the public health workers nationwide, under the Alliance of Health Workers strongly oppose the recent attempts of the government to corporatize public hospitals through House Bill 6145, House Bill 6069 and Senate Bill 3130. These bills are anti-people and anti-health worker thus will worsen the dismal state of people’s health.

The corporatization bill filed by Rep. Raul Daza will transform 26 public hospitals into public corporations run as private hospitals. It is similar to all other previous corporatization bills like HB 6069 filed by Rep. Anthony Rolando Golez, Jr. and Senate Bill 3130 filed by Sen. Franklin Drilon that gives  fiscal autonomy to hospitals to raise income for its operations thereby cutting off its dependence on government subsidy. These hospitals include the DOH flagship hospitals and almost all major public hospitals/medical centers in Manila Manila and regional centers as follows: Cagayan Valley Medical Center, Veterans Regional Hospital, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center, Region I Medical Center, Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center, Jose B. Lingad Memorial Medical Center, Batangas Regional Medical, Bicol Medical Center, Bicol Research Training and Teaching Hospital, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Rizal Medical Center, Amang Rodriguez Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, Western Visayas Medical Center, Northern Mindanao Medical Center, Zamboanga City Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, CARAGA Regional Hospital, Davao Regional Hospita, and the Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro, Sr. Regional Training Hospital.

These bills essentially turn public hospital and its services into income generating and for-profit institutions. By opening the management of the public hospitals to private members means that private investors will make sure that there will be a return of investment and profit, and rendering health services will only come second.

Corporatization is not for the benefit of the people. Corporatization of public hospitals will mean no free health services and higher rates of services. This means deprivation of health services to the poor who are majority of the population. It would result to collateral of properties for payment of health services, or becoming chronically ill or dying without seeing a doctor.

The much touted Philhealth, as a safety net to pay for health services, is not the solution. Its coverage is limited to only 23 regular cases and limited number of catastrophic illnesses. Worse, even a liberal appreciation on Philhealth coverage showed that it could only cover for 30%-40% of the total cost of health services of regular members, outside of the Philhealth’s Sponsored Program. Thus, the resulting increase of health services as a result of the corporatization of public hospitals will be felt more by about 60% of our people who are outside of the lowest 20% of our population (covered by the sponsored program) and the richest 20%. This assumption is based on the data of the DOH itself where about 80% of our people relies on public health facilities especially these 26 public hospitas (for tertiary care) that will be corporatized.

Corporatization will not care for the wellbeing of health workers. Just like any private business, corporatization will streamline its expenses. This means security of tenure of health workers is threatened and will be replaced by contractual which is happening now. Salaries and benefits of health workers are being threatened. Down grading of positions, offer of early retirement and streamlining of health workers will soon be a standard procedure.  Doctors to the Barrios Program (where the RN-HEALS program is included) of the Department of Health is a form of contractualization and exploitation on health workers.

Corporatization is privatization. Lundqvist[1] (1991), say that it is sufficient that one of these functions (i.e., the financing, production or regulation) is transferred to private management to say that a privatization has taken place. Considering that the corporatization as designed in HB 6145, HB 6069 and SB 3130 calls for the transfer of health financing and production to the private sector, therefore corporatization is by itself the privatization of the corporatized hospitals. It is relying more to private business to operate the public hospitals, and the government is abandoning its responsibility to provide quality health services to the people as called by the Constitution.  The government is reneging on its responsibility to adequately provide for public hospitals through the shrinking budget allotment.  Providing health services for free is not dole out since people pay their taxes and should be returned to them through the form of services.  If the government could afford to pay hundreds of billion pesos for foreign debts and modernization of the military, why it cannot afford to develop and modernize public hospitals and health facilities that will save millions of lives? 

Corporatization is in fulfillment of the government’s plan to fully remove subsidies to public hospitals’ Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) by the year 2014 and including Personal Services (PS) by 2020 (Pnoy-DOH’s Health Care Financing Strategy 2010-2020).

Our CALLS:

1. Scrap bills that are for corporatization/privatization of public hospitals!
2. Allot 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or the amount of P527B by 2013 to fund for people’s health.  Provide adequate budget allotment for public hospitals to ensure and improve facilities, equipments, supplies and medicines. Fund health workers’ benefits.
3. Stop revenue enhancement schemes in public hospitals!
4. Stop privatization and entry of private business in different departments and functions of public hospitals.
5.  Fill up unfilled plantilla positions and create new plantilla positions to provide for adequate health worker to patient/population ratio. 

[1] Lundqvist, Lennart J. 1991: Dislodging the welfare state? Housing and privatization in four European nations., as cited by Falkenberg, Helena in  “How privatization and corporatization affect healthcare employees’ work

climate, work attitudes and ill-health”, 2010, Stockholm, Sweden.

Hospital “Corpse” bill opposed, brand Ona and Aquino as “Death Salesmen”

The following is the press statement of the Alliance of Health Workers on the occasion of  public hearing called today, September 4, 2012 by the Committee on Health, House of Representatives, Philippine Congress on House Bill 6145 - An act converting the 26 government hospitals (nationwide) into government-owned and controlled corporations.

PRESS RELEASE

September 4, 2012

Reference:Jossel I. Ebesate, RN

AHW National President

Mobile Phone Number: 0918-9276381

Scrap House Bill 6145!  “We, public health workers nationwide together with the people, strongly oppose the recent moves of the government to corporatize the 26 public hospitals through the HouseBill 6145, House Bill 6069 and Senate Bill 3130.  These bills are anti-people and anti-health worker thus will deliver the death sentence to the already dismal state of people’s health”, said Mr. Jossel Ebesate, National President of the Alliance of Health Workers - an organization of health workers mostly working in public hospitals across the country.

Amidst the economic difficulties of the people, combined with rising cost of hospital fees, expensive medicines and spreading diseases like dengue and leptospirosis, the government is hell bent on corporatizing public hospitals. 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 room or require deposit before treatment. Some hospitals reported that their charity beds are being charged now.

Philhealth as advertized by the Department of Health (DOH) is the panacea or the cure-all answer to all of our woes on the lack of government support on hospital and public health services is not enjoyed by the beneficiaries.  Beneficiaries of Philhealth have complained that they have to shell out money to buy medicines and supplies which are not made available in public hospitals. They have still to pay the rest of their hospital bills.

Corporatization will affect the security of tenure and well being of public health workers. At present, unfilled plantilla positions in the hospitals are not being filled up but the government is hiring contractuals. Benefits like hazard pay and other benefits are not funded as provided under Magna Carta of Public Health Workers.

Now, Congress and DOH are determined to pursue the said bills into law to legalize privatization by opening these 26 public hospitals to private investors as business partners and for profit. At the same time, the Aquino government is removing whatever little subsidy left for public hospitals. Concretely, the government delivers income and profit to big foreign and local business and abandoning its responsibility in providing health services to the people in return for the people’s payment of taxes. ###

PNOY’s health report in SONA is of a pathological liar

Alliance of Health Workers

Press Statement

July 25, 2012

References: 

Mr. Jossel I. Ebesate, AHW National President, Mobile no. 09189276381

Bonifacio S. Carmona, Jr.,PHCEA, Mobile no. 09088960094

Alliance of Health Workers members called their president a 'pathological liar' without regard for the welfare of his people following a 36% increase in maternal mortality, and 33,000 public health workers not receiving their benefits. - photo and caption by Sherbien Dacalanio 

Public health workers under the Alliance of Health Workers lambast PNOY’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) as a litany of half-truths and outright lies. They called the President a sociopath – a pathological liar without regard for the welfare of the Filipino people. He has to flaunt his “accomplishments” to justify his inefficiencies and abdication of his responsibility to the Filipinos.

President Aquino’s report on health is nothing but a futile attempt to justify the effects of his health policies that wrought havoc both on people’s health and the health workers’ welfare. Data show a big increase in maternal mortality rate reaching as much as 36% in 2011. Since January of this year 2012, benefits under RA 7305 (Magna Carta of Public Health Workers) such as Hazard Pay, Subsistence and Laundry Allowances were either totally not given or cut back for more than 33,000 public health workers under the national government.

Inadequate funds in public hospitals have forced hospital management to impose charges even to patients identified as “indigent” which is the practice now at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Majority of PGH charity patients claim they are not members or dependents of PhilHealth members contrary to the trumpeted increase in PhilHealth membership covering as much as 85% of our population.

In spite of the “no balance billing policy” for PhilHealth members, it is limited only to 23 common cases and 3 catastrophic illnesses and only for sponsored members. What is more palpable is the continued cutback of public funds for government-run health institutions and facilities resulting to more and more out-of-pocket spending by our people for their health care needs. The data therefore that 6 out of 10 Filipinos that died without being attended to by a physician will only get worse with the self-reported hunger increasing with  first quarter 2012 Social Weather survey at record-high 28.8 of families or an estimated 4.8 million families.

In spite of the chronic shortage of health care personnel in our public health care delivery, the government adopts “band-aid” solution such as the RN HEALS Program. This program is just a training program with just P8,000 to P10,000 monthly allowance. This is way below the Php 18,600 for a regular Staff Nurse (Nurse 1) and Php 24,200 for a Public Health Nurse (Nurse II). Their one-year deployment further exploits these nurses.

The deterioration of our in public health care institutions due to budget cuts is the fruit of Aquino’s privatization of health services. This is part of the neo-liberal policies intertwined with liberalization, deregulation and flexibilization of labor. The Aquino government cannot but follow the imposition of the International Financial Institutions namely – the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. These are his real bosses. # 

AGAIN: Fuming Health Workers Doggedly Assail DBM for Non-payment of Benefits

Alliance of Health Workers

PRESS RELEASE

July 10, 2012

References:

Jossel I. Ebesate, National President, Mobile No: 09189276381

Robert T. Mendoza, Secretary General, Mobile No: 09324649757

“Six months have passed and for a number of times we were at the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to demand our hazard pay and other benefits which are rightfully ours,” said Mr. Jossel Ebesate, AHW president. 

More than 29,000 health workers nationwide have not received their hazard pay until today. Worse, DOH issued a Department Memorandum No. 2012-0181 last June 25 stopping the issuance of hazard pay until DBM approves the use of the concerned agency’s savings as per the latter’s guidelines. Said memorandum was made without due consultation with the health workers. 

This is a violation of the Magna Carta of Health Workers (R.A. 7305) and the Joint Resolution # 4. Hazard pay is a recognition of the health workers’ nature of work which exposes them to occupational hazards as stipulated in the said laws.  Every day as the health workers enter the hospital, risks of various types are present.  All hospitals are homes of hazardous and even lethal pathogens that spread over the entire place. Even the patients themselves pose threats to health workers’ lives like the mental patients at the National Center for Mental Health.  

“We health workers are exposed to hazardous workplace. The delay and worse the nonpayment of our hazard pay is government’s neglect of our safety and well-being. We are at the forefront of saving people’s lives but our lives are at the constant threat of the hazards we are exposed to, daily. Hazard pay is recognized by law through RA 7305, and just compensation, which the government failed to pay until this time, as we continuously deliver the much needed health services to the people?” he further stressed.

The health workers are wary at the government’s intent to scrap the Magna Carta benefits as verbalized by DBM representatives in some consultations and meetings. This strengthens even more their resolve to protect their rights in all forms warranted at any given time. “We will stand for our rights and will not give up without a good fight,” Robert Mendoza declared. ###

Justice for the Morong 43

July 6, 2012

Reference: 

Gary Liberal, R.N. – 0922-575-1689

Spokesperson

After more than a year of filing a civil suit against former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the first ever legal case filed against her after she stepped down from being the country’s chief executive, and Armed Forces of the Philippines’ high officials, the first hearing is finally held today in the office of Judge Ma. Luisa Padilla of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 226.

“We are somehow relieved that the case is finally moving in the court.  This is a step towards attaining justice,” nurse Gary Liberal said.

Regardless of what Arroyo and her camp does to deny their accountability for the illegal detention and torture of the 43 health workers in 2010 such as filing a motion to dismiss, Liberal and his group believes that the court will continue to exercise prudence in any decision it will make.  Early this June, Judge Padilla denied Arroyo’s, former AFP Chief of Staff Victor Ibrado and Gen. Delfin Bangit’s motion to dismiss stating “the court does not find any merit on Arroyo’s argument” and that the court shall wait for the presentation of evidence before deciding if Ibrado and Bangit should or should not be named as defendants in the case.

Out of desperation if not simple fib, Liberal revealed that the Philippine National Police Directorate for Personnel Services went as far as claiming that P/Supts. Marion Balonglong and  Allan Nubleza are in their roster while the address indicated in their answers filed in court were addressed to Camp Crame. Liberal said that deception has become an institutional practice in this government.

In the light of continuing attacks against health and development workers, as in the recent murder of Willem Geertman, executive director of Pampanga-based Alay Bayan, Inc., Justice for the 43 Health Workers! Alliance will continue to fight for justice until all state-backed human rights violators are punished under the law.  The Alliance also calls for continued public and media vigilance on their case.##

Unreleased Hazard Pay is Hazardous to our Health and Lives!

Alliance of Health Workers

PRESS RELEASE

July 2, 2012

Reference:     Jossel I. Ebesate, AHW National President, Mobile number: 0918-9276381

                        Emma S. Manuel, AHW President Emeritus, Mobile number: 0932-5224068

Indignant health workers storm the gates of the Department of Health today to protest the Department Memorandum Order stopping the release of health workers’ Hazard Pay.

DOH issued Memorandum Order No 2012-0181 on June 25, which ordered immediate stop in the payment of hazard pay and augmentation for laundry and subsistence allowances “to ensure uniform implementation and avoid future disallowances” until DBM approve the use of savings.

“Our health, lives and welfare are at stake! Where is the heart of DOH, Department of Budget & Management (DBM) and President Aquino for withholding our hard-earned benefits?,” said Jossel Ebesate, national president of Alliance of Health Workers. “Instead of upholding our rights and benefits and the patients’ welfare, the DOH is defending the inadequate budget for public hospitals and pushing the privatization of health services.”

Since January this year, health workers are protesting against the delay and decrease in hazard pay and other benefits as per DOH and DBM memoranda citing the provision in the General Appropriations Act requiring DBM approval for use of agency saving for benefits.

Hazard pay for most health workers is 25% of their basic salary, worth P2,000-P8,000/month per employee. This and other benefits are mandated by the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers (RA 7305). No fund was allotted for Magna Carta benefits since its approval in 1992, instead were charged to agency savings. DBM is now proposing a Joint Circular setting new guidelines for Magna Carta benefits which will reduce most benefits of health workers.

“The government, DOH and DBM are giving us the run-around. They mouth universal health care, but are actually starving us health workers and making poor patients pay for public health services. This is hazardous to health workers and people’s health!” Ebesate said.

Health workers will hold a series of actions which will peak on President Aquino’s 3^nd SONA.#

High Maternal Deaths, Delays in Health Workers’ Benefits Prove Futility of Aquino’s Privatization Policies

Alliance of Health Workers

Press Release

June 29, 2012

Reference: Jossel I. Ebesate, AHW National President, Mobile number: 0918-9276381

High maternal mortality rate and the continuing problems in health workers’ benefits are proof of the futility of privatization policies in improving people’s health.

This was the claim of Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) President Jossel Ebesate on the occasion of 2^nd anniversary of Benigno Aquino III’s presidency today.  AHW joined the protest action against Aquino’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) held in front of the Philippine General Hospital.

The Department of Health (DOH) last week admitted that Philippines failed to improve Maternal Mortality Rate with 221 deaths per 100,000 live births in the period 2006-2010 compared to 161/100,000 in 2000-2005.

Meanwhile, public hospital workers are protesting since January this year against their unpaid benefits worth P2,000-P8,000 per month.

“Contrary to the Aquino government’s grandiose target of universal health for the Filipinos, health services are becoming more inaccessible to the poor majority and health workers conditions’ have not improved. The Aquino government is continuing the privatization program started in 1990’s. The fee-for-service in public hospitals and hospital budget cuts are designed towards privatization under the Aquino government’s “Kalusugan Pangkalahatan”, Ebesate said.



Ebesate cited the case of Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital which now charges some P3,000-P5,000 for normal delivery and Tondo Medical Center which charges minimum of  P1,500-P2,000 per normal delivery as payment for supplies and use of delivery room. The Philippine General Hospital will also be charging indigent patients for selected diagnostic and laboratory procedures.  These hospitals previously provided free obstetric, delivery and other health services before the revenue enhancement program was implemented by the government.#

Orthopedic Hospital Workers Crippled by Delayed Benefits, Hit $1B Lending to IMF

Alliance of Health Workers

Press Release

June 27, 2012

References:

Sean Velches, NOHWU-AHW President, Mobile Number

Jossel I. Ebesate, AHW National President, Mobile number: 0918-9276381

Hospital workers from Philippine Orthopedic Center hold a picket rally today, in front of the hospital, in protest to the continued delay in payment of their benefits as they hit the government’s plan to lend $1B to International Monetary Fund and buy new jet fighters worth P15B. Officers of the Alliance of Health Workers led by its National President Mr. Jossel Ebesate are also present in support of the protesting public health workers.

“Our patients and health workers in public hospitals like ours are long crippled by inadequate health budget, but the Aquino government has the nerve to lend $1B to “help” other countries and spend billions of  pesos for jetfighters!” said Sean Velches, president of National Orthopedic Hospital Workers’ Union – Alliance of Health Workers (NOHWU-AHW).

Since January of this year, hospital workers under the Department of Health are protesting against the cuts and delays in Magna Carta benefits worth P2,000-8,000/month. The Department of Budget Management points to the provision in the General Appropriations Act requiring DBM approval prior to the use of savings for benefits. Despite health workers’ demand for immediate release of benefits, the DOH recently issued Memorandum Order No. 2012-0181 stopping the release of hazard pay.

The $1B pledge to IMF is equivalent to roughly P42B, more than enough to cover the P2B Magna Carta benefits and provide additional allotment to 68 public hospitals nationwide. Protesters claim the government continues to violate the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers or RA 7305 which mandated the inclusion of health workers’ benefits in the national budget.

“If the Aquino government has any heart at all for the poor, instead of unnecessary expenses and privatization, he should have allotted adequate funds for public hospitals and health workers’ benefits – this will go a long way in saving people’s lives,” said Velches. # 

Ang Totoong Kwento ng "Proposed Class D (Indigent) Rates for PGH Patients"

Mula sa initial na pag-aaral  mula sa mga dokumento na pinadala ng PGH sa UP System para sa justification nito sa proposed Class D Rates, lumalabas na mula sa kasalukuyang 281 na otomatikong libreng procedures at paggamit ng mga medical supplies ay bigla ito babagsak sa 40 na lamang na bilang ng libreng "initial" na serbisyo sa mga mahihirap nating kababayan; kung ang nasabing panukala ay papayagan ng Board of Regents ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. Ito ay batay sa may 853 diagnostic and treatment procedures at paggamit ng medical sets/supplies.

Samakatuwid, ang pangunahing layunin na ang proposal ay isa lamang "quantification of free services" ay isang patagong pagpataw ng bayarin.

Ang sinasabing "pwede pa rin namang mailibre ang iba pang mga procedures, kung hindi talaga kaya ng pasyenteng magbayad" ay matagal nang ginagawa sa mga pasyente ng PGH, Class D man o hindi, subalit nangangailangan ng karagdagang proseso at panibagong paghihintay na naman ng pasyente. Sa mga mas mahal na procedure tulad ng CT Scan, matagal na ring ring proseso sa PGH na ito ay nire-refer sa PGH Medical Social Services para mahanapan ng donor.

Nararapat kung gayon na ang panibagong pagsubok na pagpataw ng bayarin sa mga Class D o "indigent" na mga pasyente ng ospital ay tutulan at labanan.

Patuloy na itaguyod ang PGH bilang pangunahing ospital ng bayan!

Oppose the Privatization of Rizal Medical Center!

PRESS STATEMENT
Alliance of Health Workers

June 18, 2012

References:

Jossel I. Ebesate, AHW National President, Mobile number: 0918-9276381

Robert Mendoza, AHW Secretary General, Mobile number: 0932-4649757

The Alliance of Health Workers strongly opposes the privatization of Rizal Medical Center (RMC) through the Memorandum of Agreement between the RMC management and Department of Health with Makati Medical Center (MMC) Foundation to be signed on June 19.

The entry of MMC Foundation in the guise of training and organizational strengthening is privatization in plain and simple terms. The MOA clearly states the move is part of the Public-Private Partnership  program of the government and is intended to be cascaded to other public hospitals.  The MMC Foundation owned by Manny Pangilinan even though registered as non-profit organization is part of the business conglomerate being built by Pangilinan through his hospital-buying spree. Why would MMC be interested in funding RMC reforms if it does not see any profit or income in its partnership?

The partnership with MMC signals the privatization of RMC and will hit first and foremost the poor patients of RMC. DOH Secretary Enrique Ona himself admitted that cost of health services will increase under PPP and privatization. This is already happening in public hospitals like Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, and Tondo Medical Center where private companies took over radiology and laboratory services. The private University Physicians' Medical Center inside the Philippine General Hospital premises charges more than twice the cost of diagnostic and laboratory procedures in PGH. 

Workers’ job security and rights are continually attacked in privatization. Examples of this include the MWSS privatization where all workers were made to resign and only those younger or highly qualified were rehired. In corporatized GOCC hospitals, inspite of the income generated by the hospitals, health workers' job security and benefits are not ensured. Health workers in Lung Center of the Philippines, for instance, are being disallowed more than P100,000 worth of benefits per employee deducted upon resignation or retirement.

What is happening in RMC is manifestation of the national government’s plan to privatize public hospitals and public health services. The Aquino government is reneging on its responsibility of improving public health facilities and public hospitals by transferring the burden to the private sector.

In line with Aquino's Kalusugan Pangkalahatan, the private sector is being ushered in so that the government will no longer subsidize public hospital and people’s health.  Instead of allotting adequate fund for RMC and other public hospitals, it is reducing subsidy towards eventual removal (MOOE subsidy gone by 2014, Personal  Services subsidy gone by 2020 based on DOH's Health Care Finance Reform Plan 2010-2020) and transforms public hospitals into self-perpetuating income generating corporate hospitals. This is part of the national economic policies of privatization, deregulation and liberalization implemented by previous governments in obedience to local and foreign business dictates.

The deteriorating situation of people's health and health workers' economic conditions prove the futility of privatization, decreasing government subsidy and increased revenue enhancement long implemented by the government under the Health Sector Reform Agenda and Formula One for Health.  The continuing implementation of such anti-people, anti-health worker policies under Kalusugan Pangkalahatan will spell more sickness and deaths contrary to the grandiose claims of DOH and the Aquino government.

We call on the health workers and the Filipino people to oppose the privatization of RMC and all public hospitals. We call on RMC health workers to stand up for people's health and our rights, and unite with patients, other health workers' organizations, and other sectors to effectively oppose the privatization of health services

Let us continue the tradition of militant organized struggle that is instrumental in our victories in the approval of Magna Carta of Health Workers, the fight against the privatization of hospitals since 1997 and the continuing fight for our jobs, rights, salaries, benefits, and people's health.#

Health Workers to DBM: Stop the “Palusot” and Release our Benefits!

PRESS STATEMENT

Alliance of Health Workers

June 15, 2012

References:

Jossel I. Ebesate, AHW President, Mobile number: 0918-9276381

Robert Mendoza, AHW Secretary-General, Mobile number: 0932-4649757

Alliance of Health Workers demands the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to stop all the “palusot” and instead approve the release of savings for Magna Carta benefits.

This is in reply to the DBM press release on June 11 after health workers stormed DBM office in Manila armed with empty pots and pans to demand the release of their benefits.

“DBM Secretary Florencio Abad ‘explanations’ do not justify the suffering and demoralization we have to endure from decreased laundry and subsistence allowances and delays in our hazard pay since January ,” said Jossel Ebesate, national president of AHW. “Despite our position papers, dialogue and follow-ups, the DBM to this date has not approved the release of our hospitals’ savings for benefits.”

 “The Aquino government through the DBM is actually violating the objectives of the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers (Section 2) which states: “To promote and improve the social and economic well-being of the health workers, their living and working conditions and terms of employment”.  By decreasing and delaying our benefits, the government is actually attacking our economic well-being and taking away our victories in our struggle for benefits and economic rights.”

“We have fought long and hard for our Magna Carta benefits. It is the duty of the government to provide what is rightfully and legally due to us as mandated by the Magna Carta of Health Workers (RA 7305). But the government and the DBM refuse to allot adequate fund for Magna Carta benefits in the national budget and made so many hindrances short of actually removing all our benefits,” said Ebesate.

“First the government cuts the allotment for public hospitals. Next the DBM withdraws from the hospitals the traditional sources of savings like the fund for unfilled plantilla positions. Now the government requires DBM approval for agencies to use agency savings for benefits.”

“The Aquino government and DBM Secretary Abad are so insensitive and callous to the plight of health workers and the poor patients we serve by continually dismissing calls to provide adequate allotment to health and public hospitals.”

“If the Aquino government is really recognizing the noble work of health workers, then instead of finding reasons to limit and decrease our benefits, it should direct the the DBM and the Department of Health to adequately fund public hospitals, health workers benefits, and additional and adequate plantilla positions. This will result to better health services for the people,” said Ebesate.#