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[av_heading heading=’EO on poor’s free use of ambulances out soon ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. is set to issue an executive order allowing the poor to use the ambulances of district hospitals without paying anything during medical emergencies.
Provincial Administrator Raul Banias said he drafted the executive order. This should clarify the confusion over the use of district hospitals’ ambulances, he stressed.
The province’s revenue code passed in 2010 stipulated a user’s fee for district hospital ambulances. Indigent or service patients must pay P18 per kilometer. For the non-indigent, it’s P20 per kilometer.
Banias said the revenue code was later amended increasing the user’s fee to P20 per kilometer for indigent patients and P25 per kilometer for the non-indigent.
The provincial administrator said he asked Provincial Board member Lorenz Defensor to possibly introduce an amendment to the revenue code abolishing the hospital ambulance fee for indigent patients.
Every now and then, the provincial government would hear complaints against district hospitals refusing poor patients the use of their ambulances if they won’t pay first. Yesterday, Banias as chief of the provincial government’s Hospital Management Office summoned to a meeting the ambulance drivers of various district hospitals.
One recent incident involved the ambulance of Sara District Hospital. The driver allegedly refused to drive a five-year-old patient (said to be urinating blood) to a hospital in Iloilo City because the mother did not have P1,800 for the ambulance fee.
However, Sara District Hospital defended itself from criticisms. A report prepared by Nurse IV Ma. Delia Alpasan and noted by chief of hospital Dr. Jeremiah E. Obanaña asserted, among others, that the patient was not urinating blood.
The patient was admitted to the hospital on July 17 and the “admitting impression” was upper respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection and possibly acute glomerulonephritis.
The patient was told to consult with a nephrologist, according to ALpasan.
On July18, stated the hospital report, the family opted to go home but they were reminded by Dr. Bienvenido Tupas III to consult a nephrologist. The patient was discharged at 10:45 a.m.
The patient’s mother then inquired from staff nurse Brittany Pradel about the ambulance fee, according to the Alpasan.
“She answered P1,800 but she further told the mother that they can approach the social worker or management for an affordable arrangement,” read part of the nurse’s report.
If the hospital were to be believed, the mother did not see the social worker or management.
“The following day one media outfit aired their complaint that they were obliged to pay P1,800 as ambulance fee. This is inaccurate and unfair,” stressed the hospital.
It added: “Had they only expressed their intention to transfer, then they could have availed our free ambulance service as determined by our social worker and this unfortunate situation would have been avoided.”
Yesterday, Banias also reminded the ambulance drivers to make sure their vehicles always had fuel.
“Indi gid dapat matabo nga ang ambulance indi kalakat kay wala kita krudo. Obligasyon sang driver na nga unahon segurado nga may krudo,” stressed Banias.
On the other hand, Human Resources Department head Alma Ravena reminded the hospital ambulance drivers of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees./PN
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