City hospital lacks 30 more physicians

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Medical Center needs 30 more doctors to run the “temporary-permanent” hospital at the former Cebu City Traffic Operations Management building.

This was disclosed during the media briefing yesterday with a hospital’s official.

Lawyer Rey Cris Panugaling, CCMC’s director for administration, said the hospital has 38 doctors for now.

Panugaling, however, assured that the operation of the hospital will not be affected despite the lack.

It is because the schedules of the doctors in the hospital can be rotated accordingly, he said.

“As of the moment, we are needing 19 doctors for the residency training program, 11 medical specialists. All in all, we need 30 doctors,” he said.

Panugaling said over 60 doctors is only an ideal number for the hospital after the soft opening of the CCMC Pediatrics Department at the CITOM building along Natalio Bacalso Avenue on March 5.

Panugaling said the additional doctors can help accommodate patients since the hospital has 150 to 200 beds.

He said the hospital management has posted the application since January this year.

“The hiring is open but the problem is wala’y applicants,” he said, adding that applicants can go to the hospital for further details on the available posts.

Yesterday, Panugaling also presented to the media the hospital’s targets and priorities.

He said the top priority is the construction of the new building and the upgrading of the hospital’s accreditation from Level 1 to Level 2 by the Department of Health-7.

Panugaling remains positive that the construction for the hospital’s Phase I will start this year.

Other targets of the hospital are retention of accreditation of residency training programs; complete consultancy staff in all medical departments; revisit organizational structure of medical departments and form and maintain residency training programs’ pool of consultants.

He said the hospital management will formulate strategic plans against possible scarcity of doctors and for possible failure of maintenance of accreditation and physical plant and intra-departmental assessment of resident physicians on their residency training programs as to compliance on patient’s management guidelines.

The hospital also wants to retain the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation accreditation, Panugaling said.

Further priorities of the hospital are strategic succession plan and career development plan for the personnel; strengthen documentation and transparency; commencement of the consignment system; formation of the hospital advisory committee; drafting and approval of the implementing rules and regulation; amendment of the omnibus charter of CCMC which is the aim to reorganize or restructure; increase revenue generation through strict implementation of fees, among others. (FREEMAN)