Mancao: All CCMC equipment operational

CEBU, Philippines — The officer-in-charge of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) said the P84-million hospital equipment that state auditors flagged as unused in its latest annual audit report can still be used.

A few of the items were transferred to the Guba Community Hospital upon instruction of Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Peter Mancao yesterday said the biggest portion of the amount is that which was spent for the purchase of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines that are already installed at the CCMC.

In fact, he said, when state auditors visited the hospital for a site inspection last March, the MRI machines were already in the testing phase.

The Commission on Audit’s (COA) annual audit report was for Cebu City Government transactions for the 2023 fiscal year, or from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.

The site inspection led to the discovery of unutilized delivery room light, anesthesia machine, infant incubators, harmonic instrument set, digital radio fluoroscopy system, dental x-ray machine, delivery room table, autoclave machine, and patient mobility lifter.

Earlier, Acting Mayor Garcia said that the non-utilization of the equipment, which include those purchased in 2020 yet, can be attributed to the delay in the hospital building’s completion.

Mancao said this is true and mentioned that a few of the equipment were meant for the Operating Room, which is among the portions whose construction is pending.

He said that those they identified that could be used at the Guba Community Hospital were already sent there.

“Tua na napadala na namo. Katong mga bed nga wala pa magamit, amo nang napadala ngadto,” said Mancao.

He admitted that he did not specifically know the equipment were unutilized because he was not yet the CCMC officer-in-charge when they were purchased.

Mancao said he was positive that all equipment can still be used once construction of the CCMC building is finished.

“All of them are necessary equipment man gyud ni sila. Like karon, kanang incubators, naa pa man tay mga incubators sa atong mga ECU karon, naa pa may functioning, but once mag-expand na, we really need more equipment. Ilang giandam na,” he said.

“Kay ga-expect baya gyud ang tanan nfa mahuman na ang hospital,” he added.

Mayor Michael Rama halted the construction of the CCMC in 2023.

Recently, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced his plan for construction to resume so that the hospital would finally be finished after the original building, which was condemned after the October 2013 earthquake, wad demolished in 2014.

The Cebu City Council, though, urged him to delay continuing the construction until such time that funding concerns are addressed, as the legislative body wanted that the total amount, which should include the pledges coursed through the Cebu Medical Society, is made clear. – /RHM (FREEMAN)