Lawmaker slams PGH fee increase

MANILA, Philippines - Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño criticized the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) yesterday for increasing the fees it charges poor patients.

He said the board of regents of the University of the Philippines, upon the recommendation of hospital director Jose Gonzales, recently approved the fee increase for “Class D” patients. PGH is part of the UP school of medicine.

Casiño said under a Department of Health administrative order, Class D patients are those “who cannot provide for their basic food and non-food requirements” and would be entitled to “full” social services.

“They are those with no permanent means of living, or whose income ranges from zero to the current minimum daily wage of P404, and who are admitted to the charity ward,” he said.

Casiño said based on PGH data, the hospital served more than 500,000 poor patients in 2011.

He urged the hospital to reconsider its fee increase since it was established as a non-profit medical facility.

It is being subsidized by taxpayers and is receiving hundreds of millions in pork barrel funds from senators and congressmen, he added.