Un-Holy hospital
By Pet Melliza / The Beekeeper/ November 22, 2021
ILOILO CITY - A mother and her 17-day old baby languish in detention - not in any jail facility, but of all places - in a hospital that sports the lofty imageries of “holiness”, “motherhood”, “women’s and children’s” welfare, whatever.
Yes, the Holy Mary Women and Children Hospital just did, rather, is still doing that as of this writing to Sherryl Faliseo Hijalda, 34 and her baby. For all intents and purposes, she and her little angel are its detainees; both are held against their will in violation of Republic Act 9439, enacted 18 years ago, November 27, 2007.
The Holy Mary Women and and Children’s Hospital at Pavia, Iloilo has sentenced them to indefinite detention for unpaid bills. That, too in effect, condemns them indefinitely to face harsher terms for their way out from forcible detention until they shall have paid their balance.
The “holy” hospital bills the mother and baby P1,900 daily for room rental.
The baby is the fourth from her union with Jimmy Octavio Hijalda, 39, both of them living Botong, Iloilo. She was confined to the Rep. Pedro Trono District Hospital, in Guimbal, Iloilo earlier but the facility had to refer her to the Iloilo Provincial Hospital, at Pototan town, 50 kilometers north, which has the capacity for Caesarian section surgery, November 6.
The ambulance carrying her did not reach Pototan as health personnel decided to make an emergency stop in Pavia, Iloilo host of the Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which saved the mother and her baby via Caesarian section.
November 15, Sherryl was declared “fully recovered.” Her husband Jimmy, a carpenter whose income is as erratic as his job, was billed P158,000 which he could not pay in full. He has only P95,000 on hand which the Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s accepted.
Here’s the catch though: the hospital refused and is still refusing as of this writing, to discharge the patient despite her having fully recovered. It holds on to its demand that the Hijalda couple must cough up P63,000 to settle the balance.
Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s Hospital refused and still refuses the promissory note offered by the Hijalda, nothing but cold cash. In the process, the hospital bill of the hapless carpenter’s family, pardon this repetition, piles up daily by P1,900 for room rental.
Yours truly interviewed Jimmy the husband morning of November 22 who insists he’s not running away from his financial obligation only that he want’s to be given time to earn they amount.
I surfed the net to have a glimpse of the private health facility and got its land line “(033) 320 5404” that I dialed twice but got no answer. The phone must be dead or the Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s Hospital just forgot to update its web page.
Let’s go over RA 9439 which starts off with its title:
Section 2 of it states:
SEC. 2. Patients who have fully or partially recovered and who already wish to leave the hospital or medical clinic but are financially incapable to settle, in part or in full, their hospitalization expenses, including professional fees and medicines, shall be allowed to leave the hospital or medical clinic, with a right to demand the issuance of the corresponding medical certificate and other pertinent papers required for the release of the patient from the hospital or medical clinic upon the execution of a promissory note covering the unpaid obligation. The promissory note shall be secured by either a mortgage or by a guarantee of a co-maker, who will be jointly and severally liable with the patient for the unpaid obligation. In the case of a deceased patient, the corresponding death certificate and other documents required for interment and other purposes shall be released to any of his surviving relatives requesting for the same: Provided, however, That patients who stayed in private rooms shall not be covered by this Act.
In other words, unpaid bills are no ground to detain patients who have partially or fully recovered. Your patient has the right to demand the issuance of discharge papers and certification on her confinement and release from hospital.
Should the hospital detain your patient, Sec. 3, RA 9439 has criminal sanctions awaiting violators, thus:
SEC. 3. Any officer or employee of the hospital or medical clinic responsible for releasing patients, who violates the provisions of this Act shall be punished by a fine of not less than Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00), but not more than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00), or imprisonment of not less than one month, but not more than six months, or both such fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the proper court.
ILOILO CITY - A mother and her 17-day old baby languish in detention - not in any jail facility, but of all places - in a hospital that sports the lofty imageries of “holiness”, “motherhood”, “women’s and children’s” welfare, whatever.
Yes, the Holy Mary Women and Children Hospital just did, rather, is still doing that as of this writing to Sherryl Faliseo Hijalda, 34 and her baby. For all intents and purposes, she and her little angel are its detainees; both are held against their will in violation of Republic Act 9439, enacted 18 years ago, November 27, 2007.
The Holy Mary Women and and Children’s Hospital at Pavia, Iloilo has sentenced them to indefinite detention for unpaid bills. That, too in effect, condemns them indefinitely to face harsher terms for their way out from forcible detention until they shall have paid their balance.
The “holy” hospital bills the mother and baby P1,900 daily for room rental.
The baby is the fourth from her union with Jimmy Octavio Hijalda, 39, both of them living Botong, Iloilo. She was confined to the Rep. Pedro Trono District Hospital, in Guimbal, Iloilo earlier but the facility had to refer her to the Iloilo Provincial Hospital, at Pototan town, 50 kilometers north, which has the capacity for Caesarian section surgery, November 6.
The ambulance carrying her did not reach Pototan as health personnel decided to make an emergency stop in Pavia, Iloilo host of the Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which saved the mother and her baby via Caesarian section.
November 15, Sherryl was declared “fully recovered.” Her husband Jimmy, a carpenter whose income is as erratic as his job, was billed P158,000 which he could not pay in full. He has only P95,000 on hand which the Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s accepted.
Here’s the catch though: the hospital refused and is still refusing as of this writing, to discharge the patient despite her having fully recovered. It holds on to its demand that the Hijalda couple must cough up P63,000 to settle the balance.
Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s Hospital refused and still refuses the promissory note offered by the Hijalda, nothing but cold cash. In the process, the hospital bill of the hapless carpenter’s family, pardon this repetition, piles up daily by P1,900 for room rental.
Yours truly interviewed Jimmy the husband morning of November 22 who insists he’s not running away from his financial obligation only that he want’s to be given time to earn they amount.
I surfed the net to have a glimpse of the private health facility and got its land line “(033) 320 5404” that I dialed twice but got no answer. The phone must be dead or the Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s Hospital just forgot to update its web page.
Let’s go over RA 9439 which starts off with its title:
AN ACT PROHIBITING THE DETENTION OF PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL CLINICS ON GROUNDS OF NONPAYMENT OF HOSPITAL BILLS OR MEDICAL EXPENSES.
Section 2 of it states:
SEC. 2. Patients who have fully or partially recovered and who already wish to leave the hospital or medical clinic but are financially incapable to settle, in part or in full, their hospitalization expenses, including professional fees and medicines, shall be allowed to leave the hospital or medical clinic, with a right to demand the issuance of the corresponding medical certificate and other pertinent papers required for the release of the patient from the hospital or medical clinic upon the execution of a promissory note covering the unpaid obligation. The promissory note shall be secured by either a mortgage or by a guarantee of a co-maker, who will be jointly and severally liable with the patient for the unpaid obligation. In the case of a deceased patient, the corresponding death certificate and other documents required for interment and other purposes shall be released to any of his surviving relatives requesting for the same: Provided, however, That patients who stayed in private rooms shall not be covered by this Act.
In other words, unpaid bills are no ground to detain patients who have partially or fully recovered. Your patient has the right to demand the issuance of discharge papers and certification on her confinement and release from hospital.
Should the hospital detain your patient, Sec. 3, RA 9439 has criminal sanctions awaiting violators, thus:
SEC. 3. Any officer or employee of the hospital or medical clinic responsible for releasing patients, who violates the provisions of this Act shall be punished by a fine of not less than Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00), but not more than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00), or imprisonment of not less than one month, but not more than six months, or both such fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the proper court.
In this time of pandemic, this act of the Holy Mary Women’s and Children’s Hospital is, to state it nicely, very un-holy. (30)
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