No more major operations: CCMC status downgraded

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Health downgraded the Cebu City Medical Center to a Level 1 hospital from being a Level 2 facility.

This means it can no longer perform major operations.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella confirmed the information to The Freeman yesterday, saying, “It’s understandable since the construction of a new hospital is yet to start.”

 Labella said, though, that he is yet to speak with DOH Secretary Dr. Enrique Ona on the ramifications of the downgrade.

“This will be addressed accordingly but there’s no problem with the said status,” Labella said.

The status of the temporary hospital was issued Wednesday last week by DOH-Manila when CCMC chief Dr. Gloria Duterte secured a license to operate the temporary hospital and a permit to construct the new facility by October.

“Ang space nato, it’s not an ideal facility for a hospital. We were issued a license to operate, however, gi-downgrade kita to Level 1,” Duterte said.

 CCMC is temporarily occupying the building of the Bureau of Fire Protection after its old building was damage severely by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake October last year. The building was demolished eventually last February 2014.

The old structure could accommodate 300 patients but the temporary hospital at the BFP building can accommodate only 108.

DOH Administrative Order 2005-0029 provides that “…the hospital plan shall provide sufficient bed space for the hospital bed capacity proposed, a laboratory room, operating room, including work rooms for sterilization, anesthesia preparation, x-ray room, pharmacy, dispensary or out-patient department, delivery room, isolation room, autopsy room or morgue.”

DOH deemed it necessary to reclassify based on results of the Survey of the Services and Equipment Available in Hospitals nationwide.

Provision of surgical and ancillary services is not required in Level 1 facilities. This means CCMC is only capable of performing minor surgeries such as wound dressing, removal of sutures, suturing of minor injuries, and the like.

Under the rules, a Level 1 hospital or an “Emergency hospital” may provide only initial treatment and management to patients requiring immediate treatment and primary care for prevalent diseases in the area; general medicine, pediatrics, minor surgeries, and non-surgical gynecology; primary clinical laboratory, pharmacy and first level radiology; and nursing care for patients needing minimal supervised care.

 Services in a Level 2 hospital or a ‘Non-departmentalized hospital’ include general medicine, pediatrics, surgery, anesthesia, obstetrics and gynecology, first level radiology, secondary clinical laboratory, pharmacy; and nursing care for patients needing intermediate supervised care.

 A Level 3 hospital or “Departmentalized hospital” provides all clinical services provided by Level 2 hospitals; specialty clinical care, tertiary clinical laboratory, pharmacy, second level radiology; and nursing care for patients needing total and intensive care.

 Lastly, a Level 4 hospital classified as a “Teaching and training Hospital” provides clinical services provided by Level 3 hospitals; specialized forms of treatments, intensive care and surgical procedures; tertiary clinical laboratory, third level radiology, pharmacy; and nursing care for patients needing continuous and specialized critical care.

Temporary

 Duterte pointed out that the classification of status has been lowered by three levels. “Ang level 4 is 3, ang level 3 is 2, and level 2 is 1 and level 1 is infirmary,” she explained.

 An infirmary is a health facility that provides emergency treatment and care to the sick and injured, as well as clinical care and management to mothers and newborn babies.

 For major cases, Duterte said, patients of CCMC will be referred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center or any private hospital in the city.

Duterte also expressed confidence that the downgrade will not affect the city’s income from the hospital.  

“ I don’t think so kay ang atong mga patients dinha nga ni-undergo og major operations gamay raba kayo ang bayad. Socialized 75 percent. Ang ilang ibayad kay 25 percent and most of the time ang 25 percent ila pa ng hangyuon and naa pa’y CHAMP,” she said.

“Dili mi mag-worry kay padayon man gihapon ang service namo but we have to try our best to apply sa Level 2 status,” she said.

She added that patients can still apply for the City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Program.

 CHAMP’s assistance includes laboratory, medicine, hospitalization/ billing and burial.

Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos, who heads the CCMC ad hoc committee, said they will be applying for the level 2 status before the year ends.

“It’s not a problem. This is only a temporary setback. The mayor has promised to extend our temporary hospital by utilizing portion of the CITOM compound or office to cater the OB gyne clinic and Pedia wards. I think that’s enough. Everything is doable,” she said.

Delos Santos said Mayor Michael Rama is set to meet with the Board of Directors of the Sacred Heart Hospital, which is owned and operated by Southwestern University, for a holistic consortium of medical departments like Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, OB-Gyne, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, ENT, Emergency Medicine, Radiology, Clinical Pathology, among others.

Welcome

Meanwhile, VSMMC assured it will welcome patients that would seek help regardless of where they will come from.

“As per our policy, we cannot and will not deny any patient that goes to our institution. We have to serve them,” VSMMC chief Dr. Geraldo Aquino said.

 He said they have to abide by the policy even if they are operating beyond their capacity.

 VSMMC information officer Eleodoro “Nonoy” Mongaya also said that the hospital has since accommodated patients from CCMC as long their case isn’t medico-legal in nature.

VSMCC registers an occupancy rate of 130 to 140 percent. At present, the 800-bed hospital caters to an average of 1,100 patients every day.

Aquino said all they will ask is understanding from the public.

 “Naa’y mga instances nga di mi maka-attend dayon-dayon sa ilaha so mangayo mi og gamay nga pagsabot gikan sa publiko. We are already exceeding the capacity,” he said.

This means additional work for their employees, he added, but the hospital will not compromise the quality of its service.

Aquino said further that they have decided to open their out-patient department until 10 p.m. starting next month to avoid patients crowding the emergency room.

VSMMC is a fully operational tertiary Level 3 center that provides tertiary general health care with specialty and sub-specialty services to patients from the Cebu province and even including the Visayas and Mindanao regions. — with Bryner L. Diaz/JMO