Fall guy

Dave Achondo

COUNCILORS are more focused on bashing JR Borja Memorial Hospital director Dr. Ramon Nery for some reason and blaming him for the lack of services in the hospital. It’s getting out of hand. They forgot the main reason why the city hallun hospital is now in a bad light.

People only took notice of the health care issues when the late former mayor Pablo Magtajas succumbed to his illness weeks ago. But for argument’s sake, let’s pretend he didn’t succumb and that he was brought to an intensive care unit facility immediately. What then? I doubt anybody would even notice that hospitals here could be breaking the law.

Magtajas’s death was not caused by the failure of city hospital to provide an ICU to admit him in. It doesn’t have one yet.

I believe that Magtajas was a victim of private hospitals’ practices. In one of the hospitals where he was brought, there was an ICU room available but, for a moment, he was apparently deprived of the ICU room at a time when he needed it most until his daughter was able to provide the downpayment required by the hospital. By then, it was too late.

When I read the news about Dr. Nery, I suspected he was used as some sort of a fall guy to redirect the public’s attention from the questionable practices of private hospitals in this city to the city hospital’s failure to build an ICU department.

And then Councilor Suzette Daba, Magtajas’s daughter, pointed to the Cagayan de Oro Medical Center (COMC) and the Polymedic Medical Plaza. She said, “That is their usual practice, according to other patients, who witnessed the incident. Og kami na gyud mismo ang nabiktima. Even before the case of my father, there were some people I know who claimed nga wala gihapon sila dawata kung walay deposit. This is already a common practice by some or almost all the hospitals.”

This city’s mayor, Oscar Moreno, came to the defense of Nery and vouched for him after councilors took turns in lambasting the hospital director. The mayor also pointed out the good things the city hospital achieved under Nery. He said the councilors should ease up on the attacks as it’s not going to do any good and may possibly cause problems that would affect the hospital’s services.

Yes, the facts do remain that Nery has achieved more than his predecessor. Moreno said the councilors should not forget the things Nery has contributed to the city, and explained that it is not easy to procure the equipment needed for an ICU. He explained that it can’t be rushed even as he assured the public that the ICU, despite delays, would be available soon.

Moreno does have a point.

One councilor went too far with his criticism. Councilor Enrico Salcedo said, “Kung duna daw mo-anha diha nga pasyente nga gina-endorse sa mga city councilors dili daw tabangan. Dili kini maayo nga taho nga atong nadawat diha gikan sa city hospital.” Salcedo definitely added fuel to the fire with that allegation against Nery.

In my opinion, it was uncalled for as it is apparently intended to smear the doctor’s name. If the allegations made by the councilor has any truth to it, then he should present his insider during their next meeting if ever there is one if only to prove that Salcedo is not making up this story.

Councilor Daba’s allegations too should be an eye opener for the city councilors so that they would work on these issues about the practices of hospitals instead of focusing on Nery and barking up the wrong tree. They are in the position to fix this broken health system.

As for COMC and Polymedic, they should be made to explain before the city council and to the public why are they doing it. Daba’s story about the way her father was treated is a firsthand account.

And the city council should not stop there. They should investigate, and summon representatives of all the hospitals in the city if only to make sure they have no money-down policy.