medic program mess is only tip of the iceberg

City Mayor Dan Neri Lim ordered yesterday an all encompassing audit of the controversial Blue Card Program of the city after it was discovered that claims have been bloated defrauding the city coffers of precious funds. The audit is part of a full dress investigation to be conducted by a task force to be created by the office of the mayor. Mayor Lim said the investigation will determine the culpability of those involved in the conspiracy to defraud the city government of Blue Card funds. The investigation will also center on the Tagbilaran Cooperative Hospital whose employees numbering six. They are said to be behind the bloated claims of Blue Card beneficiaries. Mayor Lim said the dissipation of Blue Card assets is only a “tip of the iceberg.” According to Mayor Lim, he believes that what came out on the surface is part of an elaborate conspiracy that involves other Blue Card beneficiaries. The truth of the bloating in Blue Card claims was triggered by the complaint of one Anatacia Bertumen, an employee of the coop hospital. In a letter to Mayor Lim, Bertumen through lawyer Dodelon Sabijon complained that she was billed by the hospital the amount of P57,000 when she only incurred medical expenses amounting to P2,000. Availing of the city's Blue Card Program, she admitted she was not confined at the hospital contrary to the records presented for disbursement at the city treasurer's office.

Records showed that Bertumen was confined at the coop hospital on May 8-11, 2007 . She said that in utmost good faith she only availed of the Blue Card Program for payment for the medicines she had taken from the coop hospital. When she questioned hospital authorities why her medical claims ballooned to more than P50,000, she was denied access about the details of her supposed confinement. A few days later, when she found the courage to confront hospital authorities, she was shocked to learn that she was advised to keep silent on the inflated claim. When she asked hospital authorities to get back her Blue Card, she was told it was used in charging other hospital bills of other patients. She then confirmed from other hospital personnel that her card was used in the claims of other patients which explained why her hospital bills amounted to P57,000. For publicly complaining the bloated hospital bills, Bertumen was suspended for 15 days for alleged unauthorized transactions.

She would have wanted a formal investigation so that she could peruse all the documents which were used to support the claim for payment by the coop hospital from the city government, but to her dismay, hospital authorities verbally told her not to report for work anymore. She was told to keep silent and to pack up. As a consequence, Bertumen through her lawyer filed a case of illegal dismissal against the hospital. Bertumen was not alone in her misery. Three other administrative personnel of the accounting department of the hospital were also ordered suspended on suspicion that they were conspirators to bloat the Blue Card claims. Meanwhile, Dr. Cirilo Jalad, hospital director, is also conducting his own investigation. He said a committee was formed to look into the extent of the damaged to medical claims processed by the hospital. The committee is headed by lawyer Argie Labaria.

SUSPENDED

With the discovery of fraudulent claims, Mayor Lim immediately ordered the suspension of the accreditation of the coop hospital under the Blue Card Program. The city mayor is also entertaining the possibility of terminating the contract with the coop hospital. The hospital is under a lease agreement by the Medical Mission Group, a group of medical practitioners that operates public or private hospitals. The coop hospital is owned by the city government. The lease contract will expire in October. In addition to the investigation conducted by the city mayor's office, two committees of the Sangguniang Panlungsud are also looking into the management of the Blue Card Program. The committees on health and protective services chaired by Kagawads Leonides Borja and Mariquit Oppus, respectively, are conducting their own investigation. The Blue Card Program is one of the flagship projects of the Lim administration designed to provide free hospitalization to the poorest of the city residents who could hardly afford hospitalization expenses.