Following the upgrading of its facilities and improvement of health services, the Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital (GRBASMH) here is set to engage the services of private medical practitioners as visiting physicians, consultants, and specialists.
Provincial board member Medeldorf Gaoat said Tuesday his colleagues unanimously approved his proposed resolution no. 2022-01-446 authorizing Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc to execute on behalf of the GRBASMH a memorandum of understanding with various eligible private medical practitioners to render their services at the provincial hospital, and ensure that all patients will be provided with basic and adequate health services.
To be eligible in the visiting consultants and specialists program, the private medical practitioner must meet the minimum requirements, such as having a license with the Professional Regulatory Commission, PhilHealth accreditation, a fellow or diplomate of any specialty society recognized by the Philippine Medical Association, and a notarized income payee’s sworn declaration of gross receipts or sales.
“The minimum requirements for accreditation are needed for transparency purposes,” Gaoat said in sponsoring the measure.
Under the MOU, the private medical practitioner shall avail and make use of the provincial hospital’s facilities, equipment, instruments, and manpower.
In return, they shall actively participate in the hospital’s activities and share their expertise in rendering free services to patients admitted in any basic or ward accommodation.
In case a professional fee is to be charged to a referred patient in basic or ward accommodation, the MOU states that only a maximum of PHP500 per day and a maximum of PHP2,500 for the whole patient’s confinement period is allowed provided that the medical or surgical procedures or interventions to patients shall not incur co-payment or out-of-pocket expense.
If a medical or surgical procedure is required using a medical instrument or equipment that is not available at the provincial hospital, the visiting physician may be allowed to use his personal instrument or equipment and collect a maximum of PHP2,000 instrumentation rental fee which can be charged under the provincial hospital’s professional fund.
Gaoat said this is a “welcome development” to the people of Ilocos Norte as they will have more options for medical treatment.
Previously, some public hospitals in the province had been limiting their services due to the shortage of doctors.
But in the past three years, the provincial hospital under the Manotoc administration had its much-needed rehabilitation and improvement with a budget allocation of more than PHP78.8 million for the construction of a new building, as well as improvement of its existing facilities.
The same hospital is also a project recipient of a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) isolation facility worth PHP15 million, which was funded under the national government’s Bayanihan II program. (PNA)
