‘Why realign funds to buy ball pens?’

THE Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) may need more than accountants to sift through its proposed P426.6-million budget for next year.

The City Council noted that the hospital realigned P1.2 million from its budget for  drugs and medicine  this year to purchase ball pens and other office supplies.

CCMC chief Dr. Gloria Duterte first  told the council that her office didn’t realign their funds to pay for office supplies.

But Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young told Duterte to verify if she signed a letter sent to Mayor Michael Rama.

In her letter, Duterte called for realignment of funds from the hospital’s drugs and medicines budget to pay for over P900,000 worth of ball pens and other office supplies. The hospital chief said she signed the letter.

“I did not notice it (the appropriation) was taken from drugs and medicines,” Duterte replied.

The CCMC chief said about P143 million from their 2012 budget will be used to buy drugs and medicines.

The amount is six times more than the P20-million appropriation for this year.

Duterte said the hospital only has a  P3.-8 million budget for drugs and medicine remaining until the year-end.

Still, Young questioned about the realignment.

“Which is more important—drugs or ball pens?  Now you want to tell us that you need more money for medicines?” the vice mayor asked.

The council learned in last week’s budget hearing that the hospital’s finances are handled by commerce graduates and not accountants.

Councilor Noel Wenceslao suggested that the hospital hire an accountant.

“It’s the call of the mayor. It’s him who must be convinced,” Young said.

Duterte said they expect the hospital to earn P104 million in revenues next year while the remaining P322.6 million will be covered by City Hall subsidies.

Councilor Margot Osmeña, the council’s budget committee chairperson, asked Duterte to just limit their projected revenues to P100 million.

The city hospital collected P28 million from January to Sept. this year.

Duterte said they are also collecting payment of about P17 million from services availed by beneficiaries of the city’s free medicines program called Champ.

The city government appropriated P100 million for its Champ program this year.

Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. said Champ payments should not be considered a revenue source for CCMC because this was still city hall funds paid to the hospital.

“It’s like a subsidy from the city,” said Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young.  Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac and Correspondent Edison A. delos Angeles