Press Release
March 20, 2013
References:
Mr. Jossel I. Ebesate, President
Alliance of Health Workers: Mobile Number: 09189276381
Mr. Sean Velchez, President
NOHWU-AHW, Mobile Number: 09067360468
Hundreds of health workers, urban poor
communities, community health workers and patients join in the protest march
today against the callous moves of the government to privatize public hospitals
despite of the people’s opposition.
Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC), only one
national tertiary hospital specializing in bone and trauma cases is the pilot
hospital to be privatized in the form of public-private partnership and
build-operate-transfer. January 25, 2013, the Department of Health has opened
for bidding to private investors. March 26 is the deadline for qualified
bidders, April will be the evaluation and the awarding for the winner bidder
will be by May.
The
protesters strongly oppose the sale plan which will deprive majority of the
people where 80% - 90% of the patients are receiving free services. The
hospital services 450-500 patients in the out-patient department daily. Casting
are usually free and prosthesis are much cheaper than most sources. The proposed
modern 700 bed tertiary orthopedic hospital will be built and run by private
business. Thus, all services in both old and new hospitals will become for
profits. The protesters’ questions are, “Why does the Aquino government open
public hospitals for private foreign and local investors at the expense of the
people’s welfare? Why does it allow the people’s right to health to become a
commodity for profit? Where will the
poor patients go?”
Jossel
Ebesate, AHW President also declared,
“Pnoy’s sale of the Orthopedic Center does not only show his lack of concern
for people’s right to health, it showed his subservience to the interest of big local
business and foreign capitalists. If the private investors are bent on
operating such kind of hospital, ostensibly to "help", let them build a private hospital, but leave
the public Orthopedic Center alone. Then the public will have options for a
public or a private hospital and poor patients will not be deprived of public
health services. President Aquino instead, should put additional budget on public
hospitals!”
Added Sean Velchez, President of Philippine
Orthopedic Center Health Workers’ Union – AHW questioned the government’s heartless plan for
the hospital, “ Does the President know that annual 10,000
inpatients and 140,000 patients
at the outpatient department will be deprived of services once private
investors are involved in the financing and management of the hospital? What
will happen to us, 1,101 health care givers? Clearly, the government treats
health care services and health workers as commodities for profit.”
The
sale of Orthopedic Center is a prelude to the sale of other government
hospitals. Even the controversial land of the National Kidney and Transplant
Institute (NKTI) is up for public-private partnership or privatization. RITM
and San Lazaro Hospital, among other public hospitals are rolled up for
PPP/privatization.
We,
health workers, call on the public to join us in the protest to privatize our
public hospitals. Let us fight for our right to health. ###
