By Joey Pavia
CITY OF
without consultation, not to mention he mismanages the provincial hospital.”
Thus said doctors and nurses at the Diosdado Macapagal Memorial Hospital (DMMH), who assailed their acting chief, Dr. Benjamin Arboleda, for allegedly mismanaging the hospital in Guagua town and introducing programs that derailed services and inconvenienced the workers and public.
Arboleda is head of the
The doctors, who asked for anonymity, said Arboleda “is a non-kapampangan who rules us without respect to workers’ rights and people’s welfare.”
They disclosed that Arboleda had padlocked at least three gates near the emergency room which inconvenienced DMMH workers and visitors.
“What if there was an emergency and they need the gates for quick access. The gates should be open for the public’s benefit as they use only one open gate in the hospital,” they said.
A patient identified as Leona Alviz reportedly complained about the padlocked gates but Arboleda was not around to answer her.
“So many people are complaining because this the only hospital with many padlocked gates,” the DHHM doctors said.
Arboleda, for his part, said he had closed the gates to improve the condition in the area. He added tricycle and jeepney drivers had used the area near the padlocked gates as their terminal.
“If there is traffic it’s not safe to people. The traffic may also delay the entry of vehicles carrying patients needing immediate attention,” Arboleda said.
He added that one of the closed gates is open at night when there is no much volume of vehicles.
The irate DMMH workers alleged that Arboleda had wrongly designed the repair and rehabilitation of the hospital named after the father of former president and now 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
They added the hospital is hot due to the aircons put inside the hallways and the design of the x-ray room which failed to pass the requirements of the Department of Health (DOH).
“The x-rays bough with millions of pesos is useless because the room didn’t pass the requirements set by the DOH,” they said.
The doctors also assailed Arboleda for transferring their quarters without consulting or informing them.
“We just came in one morning and discovered that our quarters had been moved,” they said.
Arboleda, for his part, said the P5-million repair work at the DMMH had been handled by the DOH. He added that funds came from then President Arroyo and the DOH “solely designed and monitor the project.”
Arboleda said he had tried to correct the mistake as acting PHO II such as the wrong placement of aircons and the x-ray room which failed the requirements of the DOH.
Asked about the transferring of the doctor’s quarters, Arboleda said he had not asked them to transfer but they wanted to leave one of the two rooms they occupy at the back of the emergency room.
“It has no aircon that’s why they don’t want to use it. I allowed them to transfer in another area they want,” said Arboleda. He added that he had extended the emergency room at the DMMH and after the doctors left the room.
The DMMH workers alleged that Arboleda had tolerated doctors who use the public hospital for private practice. They added the doctors ask fees for patients as a private physician.
The DHHM doctors said Arboleda had not implemented the plan to “centralize” the supply at the DMMH. This move, they added, would eradicate the graft and corruption in the release of supply.
“At night or after 5 p.m., there is no cashier to issue receipts for the supplies bought. So they have no choice but to give cash to the attending doctors and nurse who do not issue official receipt,” they said.
Arboleda, for his part, said “the allegation is rampant then and now.” He added that he had tried to stop the wrong practice, getting the flak from DMMH doctors.
Arboleda said he had not tolerated the practice of paying directly to doctors and nurses for the supplies taken from the DMMH.
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