CEBU, Philippines - “Ang akong nahibaw-an hospital gani ang service ana way pili-on kay dili man moingon nga ang kinabuhi sa usa mas bililhon pud kay sa laing kinabuhi,” said Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.
This was in response to what Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said that Cebu City Medical Center is only for the city residents. He said this after he learned that not all dengue patients in CCMC are his constituents.
Garcia said that medical services should have no borders and limitations — political or otherwise.
“What can I say though even if it is the other way around, the province is willing to accept regardless of whether the patient is from the city or from the town because after all I am very sure that they are all Cebuanos,” she said.
“Bisan pag dili Sugbuanon bisan pag taga-Negros nang moabot or taga-Bohol ang moabot, Pilipino man ni ato gihapong tagaan sa mao nga serbisyo even taga-Singapore or Thailand who needs medical attention tagaan gihapon nato,” she added.
Rama said that the provincial government must be more sensitive to the problem because the city cannot be a refuge for dengue patients forever.
Representative Pablo Garcia, who happened to be at the governor’s office during the press conference, said Rama’s words might have been a slip of the tongue. (THE FREEMAN)