Solon’s staff to probe Mandaue hospital’s spending on drugs

THE head pharmacist and three other personnel in Eversley Child Sanitarium in Mandaue City will be investigated by personnel from the office of Rep. Gabriel Luis Quisumbing of Cebu’s 6th district.

A seven-man fact-finding committee from the congressman’s office will investigate next week head pharmacist Pyr Jakosalem and job-order employees Gay Pacunla, Josephine Caperoso and Eden Magis.

Staff monitoring the hospital’s spending of money from the congressman’s pork barrel were alarmed when the hospital racked up a bill worth nearly P4 million, said Jessie Perez, the congressman’s office manager.

He said they received a bill in the amount of P1.5 million and another of P2.2 million last month.

He questioned prescriptions given to patients like 7-year-old Jane Mendoza who was prescribed with nine bottles of ascorbic acid syrup, nine bottles of multivitamins and one box of mefenamic acid last March 11.

He said prescriptions were being approved by the pharmacist and pork barrel coordinator, Gina Semblante, without signatures from doctors.

Perez said Semblante was suspended since June 8.

Jakosalem denied tampering with the prescriptions and said she only dispensed medicines on prescriptions Semblante signed.  Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos

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