Rama: CCMC, Guba to stay with City Hall

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama said yesterday that City Hall will continue operating the Cebu City Medical Center and will not allow any intervention in the operation of the Guba District Hospital.

Rama said he does not see any reason to change how these two hospitals are  being run by Dr. Gloria Duterte because she has done well so far.

“Ug dili na maka manage si Dr. Duterte then siya ang atong ilisan,” he said.

Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district said that if he is elected mayor again in 2013, he intends to revisit the plan to shut down the Cebu City Medical Center (CMMC) because of its poor services.

Instead, Osmeña said he wanted the city’s allocation of about P200 million annually to the hospital  be diverted to the Department of Health.

Osmeña said that if he becomes mayor again healso  wants to come up with a scheme where barangays would be involved in the delivery of medical services especially in the distribution of medicines.

Rama said Osmena’s plan is an indication of his being “anti-poor”.

“The government should instead equip CCMC instead of decentralizing health services to the barangays,” the mayor said.

Rama said that barangay officials should instead remain focused in the delivery of other services like garbage collection and peace and order.

As for the Guba hospital, Rama said he would block proposals for it to be co-managed by the DOH-run Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), as proposed by Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar of the north district.

Del Mar said the co-management scheme will allow DOH through the VSMMC to allocate funds and help improve services at the Guba hospital which caters to the health needs of Guba residents and those from 14 neighboring mountain barangays. /Edison A. Delos Angeles, Correspondent