The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has announced that the situation at the Canlaon District Hospital is almost back to normal, following the hiring of three doctors earlier this year.
In a press conference, Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion said a hospital needs at least four doctors and so far, there has been no applicant for the fourth slot, even though the province advertised it. And there is no Chief of Hospital either.
“I hope we do not magnify this too much, but the Provincial Government, through Governor Degamo, has always invited doctors (to work for the Canlaon District Hospital)”, she said.
A certain Pastor Bobby Menguito, who introduced himself as assistant mission director of the IPHO during the press conference, said doctors have been cold to the idea of working in CDH due to threats.
Even in Canlaon City, we have asked doctors there to work for the Canlaon District Hospital but they refused, the pastor said.
Menguito said crisis in Canlaon appears to emanate from a few people there who have an agenda to destroy the program of the governor.
He said since Dr. Amor was killed in November last year, four doctors have withdrawn since the killing of Dr. Amor. A fifth doctor reported having been subjected to harassment after a certain Juan Landoy was found in the hospital premises bringing an improvised shotgun with two live bullets.
Menguito narrated that last May 3, a person named El Jun Netija, was a victim of a hit-and-run incident at 7 am but went to the doctor at 8 pm. The doctor was not around at that time, prompting the patient to say, “Di pa gyud mo motagam na gisampolan na mo? (Haven’t you learned your lesson when you were already given a sample?)”
Menguito said there is a political hand behind this. A certain councilor in Canlaon City who is a vocal critic of the Governor, went to the CDH and withdrew a patient who was undergoing treatment, saying that the Canlaon District Hospital is useless. This happened not only once but several times.
Canlaon City is the only place in Negros Oriental where Degamo lost to contender Jessica “Ikay” Villanueva.
Dr. Estacion said there are days when there are no doctors at the CDH because they are on official business or are absent, but this does not happen all the time.
The three doctors already assigned at the CDH are Dr. Simaya Menguito, Dr. Florencio Juplo and Dr. Norma Nemenzo.
The crisis in the Canlaon District Hospital started several months before the appointment of Dr. Avelex Amor as chief of hospital. Amor had told his family last year that he had been receiving threats after he instituted reforms in the hospital which put him at odds with a staff member who had strong political connections.
Dr. Amor was killed on November 20, last year. He was shot by a motorcyclist when he alighted from his car in Guihulngan, on a temporary stop while on his way to Dumaguete City.
The police and the NBI consider the killing of Dr. Avelex Amor as work-related but have yet to name a suspect.
The crisis worsened after Dr. Amor’s killing as doctors refused to be assigned in Canlaon.
To address the situation, Gov. Roel Degamo made use of the medical scholars of the province by deploying them to Canlaon City hospital but they also abandoned their posts after they were subjected to harassments and threats. They offered to repay the provincial government for the expenses spent for their scholarship.
Under the terms of the scholarship, the medical scholar has the option to pay back the government for the expenses spent for his or her scholarship.
Provincial attorney Louie Rastica has confirmed that four of the seven scholars have already reimbursed the Provincial Government for the medical scholarship.
Saddened by what had happened, Degamo had requested for an amendment of the scholarship ordinance, the repayment option remains for justifiable reasons but the repayment provision is doubled.
Under the ordinance, a scholar is to serve two years for every one year of his or her scholarship or a total of eight years before going to private service, Rastica disclosed.
She also denied using the hospital medicines for the Magdegamo medical mission. In fact, after the medical mission in Canlaon City, a lot of medicines of the Magdegamo team were left behind for the use of the hospital.
Meanwhile, the family of Dr. Avelex Amor continue their quest for justice for his death last year.
Boots Amor, Dr. Avelex’ mother, said they are lamenting the lack of progress in the investigation. She said the Provincial government, which was her son’s employer, has not offered a reward for the solution of the case, in contrast to the offer of a P500,000 bounty for the solution of the murder of a provincial board member this year.
She said the family is also upset that the posters calling for justice for Dr. Avelex Amor that they have posted throughout Negros Oriental, have been intentionally removed.
She also revealed that they have received death threats from unknown callers on her husband’s mobile phone. (Irma Faith Pal with a report from Juancho Gallarde)
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