MANILA, Philippines - Members of the women's group Gabriela will hold a rally in front of the Ospital ng Maynila on Monday to protest the move of the Manila City government to impose new medical charges on six city-funded hospitals.
Gabriela members will bring a large prescription with the new medical charges of the Manila government and burn it.
The group said the scheme is implemented under the City Ordinance no. 8331, which enacts the 2013 Omnibus Revenue Code of the City of Manila that aims to raise taxation in the City by 300 percent in three years.
The hospitals collecting new medical charges include Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Tondo, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Maynila, and Sta. Ana Hospital.
The group will also protest the additional fees and charges that are being passed on indigent people of the City of Manila in terms of medical attention and services that have long been free of charge.
Reports said that medical services that are being charged now include operation, surgery, OB-Gyne, dialysis, X-Ray, CT Scan, and Doctors and Professional Fee including room boarding and medicines.
Also under the new city ordinance, consultations on emergency room is now pegged at P200 and P100 for out-patient department.
An increase on medical services charges is being implemented such as for ultra-sound from P300 to P3,000, dialysis P2,000 (inclusive of P200 professional fee), physical therapy P500 (with P200 professional fee), CT Scan from P2,500 to P7,000 among others.