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.#

Proposed 2012 National Health Budget: A perpetuation of government’s neglect on people’s health and welfare of health workers

Press Statement

August 20, 2011

Reference:

MR. JOSSEL I. EBESATE. RN 

National President, Alliance of Health Workers

Mobile Phone: 09189276381

The 2012 proposed budget for health increased by 31.7% from P32.427B in 2011 to P42.693B. However, this deceptive increase is not intended to improve public health services or make public hospitals relevant and accessible to poor patients.

The purported increase goes only on the P12.028B allocation for Philhealth subsidy to the poorest 5.2 million families (20% of the population) and P3B for national government counterpart for public-private partnership (PPP) projects to be implemented on government hospitals starting next year. Minus the P3.5B allocated for Philhealth subsidy for this year (2011), the health budget actually went down by 4% or P1.165B.

The Philhealth subsidy for the lowest 20% of the population negates the fact that 80% of our people relied on public health facilities for their health needs. Thus, leaving the next 60% of our people vulnerable to the increased cost of services that will result in the privatization of health services brought about by the PPP projects in public hospitals.  The supposed “zero balance billing” for the 22 most common ailments that will be started this September, covers only the poorest 20% of our people, leaving even those in the formal labor sector (and supposedly covered by Philhealth) to absorb the increased hospitalization cost, in excess of the Philhealth capitation.  Furthermore, it is a fact that Philhealth capitation covers only about 30% of the total health care costs.

The proposed 2012 national budget further decreased by P3M, the allocation for Magna Carta benefits for public health workers from P714M to P711M; instead of increasing it by P1.5B - to include all public health workers at the DedEd, hospitals under the DOH, and other agencies such as PGH and UP Manila (with P250M shortfall). Ever since the enactment of the law (RA 7305) in 1992, the national government failed to allocate funds for these benefits; thus, hospitals under the DOH have been sourcing their Magna Carta benefits from savings and internally generated funds.

It also failed to provide additional plantilla positions for public health care facilities in spite of admission from the DOH Secretary himself that public hospitals are understaffed by 300% for nurses alone (1:30 nurse-patient ratio in stead of the ideal 1:10 ratio).  The 12,000 nurses for 2012 under the RN HEALS program is only an annual (sic - temporary/contractual) employment opportunity, and a " drop in the bucket" compared to the more than 323,500 unemployed or mis-employed registered nurses.  The RN HEALS program is also a form of exploitation of our health professionals, comparable to the "volunteer with fees" in hospitals, because nurses under the said program only received P8,000.00 as monthly renumeration, compared to the P17,099.00 starting monthly salary for regular government nurses.

Finally, by centralizing the capital outlay of public hospitals under the DOH (through the  Facilities Enhancement Program) (P5.078B) at the DOH Central Office; and all unfilled positions in the government (P23.427B) at the DBM, the Pnoy government only perpetuated the lump-sum appropriations practiced by the previous administration, which have been proven to be the source of large scale corruption.#