Ospital ng Muntinlupa in critical condition

From mb.com.ph:

Manila, Philippines — Muntinlupa City’s primary tertiary public hospital is in serious trouble, and in need of intensive care.

A comprehensive inventory of the Ospital ng Muntinlupa (OsMun) revealed massive deficiencies, questionable practices, and facilities in various states of neglect and disrepair, resulting from mismanagement in last six years.

“It is unfortunate that our very own hospital, meant to help Muntinlupeños who need health care, is in serious condition,” Mayor Jaime R. Fresnedi said. “The state of OsMun is unbelievable, but we need to work hard and fast to make sure that our hospital is able to meet the needs of our citizens.”

Based on a report by OsMun Medical Director Dr. Edwin Dimatatac, the hospital has P9, 437,376.26 of unaccounted income and P1,302,059.45 worth of ghost deliveries, on top of contracts with outside suppliers that are either unfavorable to OsMun or not supported by contracts at all.

The inventory revealed that most major services such as Radiology, Laboratory, Pulmonary Units, Dialysis, Dietary, and Security are outsourced; the pharmacy and medical supplies are significantly lacking, leading to a dependence on outside suppliers.

The problem with outsourced services is that almost all are not properly supervised and accounting is spotty. The report found out that the hospital’s financial report does not tally with reports from OsMun’s various units.

Questionable practices include collections by the hospital cashier for services at the Hearing Unit that use an outside supplier’s receipt instead of OsMun’s, with 80% of the fees collected going directly to supplier. The hospital’s radiology consultant, as well as security guards, receive payment even if not regularly available and rendering only a few services.

The facilities are in various states of disrepair and neglect. Hospital beds, surgical instruments, and equipment such as endoscopy and x-ray machines need repair, while vital equipment mandated by the Department of Health such as cardiac monitors, defibrillators, laryngoscopes, ambubags, and emergency carts are nowhere to be found.

Donations such as computer set and telefax from concerned individuals and groups are nowhere to be found, while more than 7,000 pieces of donated or purchased equipment were left unused in the hospital’s stockrooms and allowed to expire.