LINGAYEN — The probe of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on the alleged excessive charge of three doctors at the Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial (DDVMF) Hospital, a private hospital in Dagupan will shift next week to two government doctors who helped perform the surgical procedure on the injured hand of a patient

This was agreed upon by the board members even as Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim, Jr. manifested that the board is determined to adopt measures that will help ease the burden of the sick and injured Pangasinenses in obtaining quality medical attention in the province’s private and government hospitals.

This was largely the result of the discussions following the privilege speech delivered by 2^nd District Board Member Raul P. Sison last November 27 when he raised the plight of Arturo Ferrer, a cockpit sentensyador (referee/judge) who accidentally sustained a cut in the wrist caused by a fighting cock’s gaff and was treated at the DDVMH.

Sison said Ferrer was reportedly brought to the nearest private hospital in Dagupan City and was treated by three doctors and was charged P176,978.18 over a 24-hour confinement.

To shed matters, Dr. Karlo Marco Orduna, Dr. Emelito V. Retumalta and Dr. Vivencio Jose P. Villaflor III were invited to the Question Hour as directed by the resolution authored by BM Sison and BM Noel Bince.

The three doctors, however, did not appear in the Question Hour but instead sent their counsel to represent them.

Orduna was the anesthesiologist that attended to Ferrer and was paid P42,500 while Retumalta was the ortho surgeon who performed the operation along with Dr. Jose Vicente Villaflor III. Both charged P50,400 and P40,000.

The provincial board softened its stand on DDVMH and Dr. Villaflor after Atty. Marian Ivy Reyes-Fajardo, lawyer of both, appeared before the body and said that any ordinance or resolution to be passed by the board can not supersede a national statute that set regulations for private hospitals.

Thereafter, the board heeded the call of 4^th District Board Liberato Villegas to forego the questioning of DDVMH being a private hospital and Dr. Villaflor being a private surgeon.

Implying that Sison is not a doctor and did not have direct knowledge of the assessment of operation, Fajardo said the operation performed by doctors on the hand of Ferrer was not a minor one as it was an emergency case and had doctors not acted quickly, it could have led to the dismemberment of a part of his body.

She added that regulation of private hospitals is strictly governed by R.A. 4226 or the Hospital Licensure Act which she said can not be amended by an ordinance to be enacted by the body.

With respect to the imposition of fees by doctors, she said it is also provided for in RA  2883, a national law enacted by Congress that can not also be superseded by an ordinance.

Fajardo said a violation of the doctors the Code of Ethics of the Philippine Medical Association in accordance with the Medical Act of 1959 constitutes grounds for reprimand and/or revocation of their licenses but only for cases filed before the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Visibly slighted by the lecture of Fajardo, Sison said “I feel I am sulking here because of the lecture we received from the lawyer of the Villaflors. From the lawyer’s discussion, it seems we can not do anything about this irregularity,” he told his colleagues.

The lawyer of the Villaflors seemed to be telling that all of us are bobos here,” Sison lamented.

Meanwhile, it was learned during the Question Hour that Dr. Orduna is currently holding a plantilla position in the provincial government.

Human Resources and Development Officer Janette Asis confirmed that Dr. Orduna is assigned as Medical Specialist II at the Eastern Pangasinan District Hospital, his position has an equivalent rank of salary grade 22 with an annual gross salary of P728,784 plus other allowances. Dr. Retumalta, on the other hand, serves as a Consultant at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH).

According to the HRMDO, no government employee is allowed to practice in a private company unless an official permit from the employer is secured from the employer. In the case of Dr. Orduna, the HRMDO noted there was no written permission granted by the provincial government to the said doctor.

Relative to the cross-servicing of government physicians, Provincial Health Officer Ana Maria Teresa De Guzman suggested that the Chiefs of Hospitals be invited to the forum to provide answers raised by the board members.  A second Question Hour is scheduled on December 11 to question the two government doctors and the chiefs of hospitals.

Meanwhile, De Guzman maintained that the procedure done on Ferrer can easily be performed by doctors in any public hospital operated by the provincial government.

At a news conference at DDVMH after the session, Atty. Fajardo expressed her apologies for hurting the feelings of board members when she advised them of the national laws relative to the issue being discussed.

All’s well that ends well among us as far as this issue is concerned, Fajardo said. (Leonardo Micua/ PIO)

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