The Department of Health is investigating accusations of irregularities at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital by its officials, Assistant Secretary David Lozada, DOH Integrity Development Committee head, said yesterday.

Lozada said he has instructed the Regional IDC to gather documents related to the accusations being hurled. He added that he will visit the hospital himself soon.

So far it appears that the accusations have only been made in the media, since no formal complaints have been filed, he said. Dr. Benito Bionat, CLMMRH chief of clinics and chairman of the hospital's Financial Planning and Management Monitoring Committee, and Brian Baylon, chief administrative officer, have questioned the amount and the alleged irregular purchase of oxygen at the CLMMRH.

Bionat said the CLMMRH purchases more oxygen tanks a month than other larger-sized government hospitals.

Baylon has charged Dr. Domingo Vega, chief of the CLMMRH, of being incompetent, and of having favored suppliers.

Vega, on the other hand, said he has not committed anything wrong.

He said that Baylon and Bionat went to the media to prosecute the hospital by publicity, and to get media mileage.

But Baylon said he exposed what is happening so that the problems at CLMMRH can be corrected as he has repeatedly brought them to the attention of Vega and the Commission on Audit but they have not be acted on. Their claims that the oxygen purchased by the hospital was not properly bidded and served with purchasing orders are lies, Vega said.

On the purchase of P250,000 worth of oxygen, Vega said there were four suppliers who submitted sealed envelopes. On the opening of the sealed envelopes, it was noted by the Bids and Awards Committee that of the four suppliers of oxygen, the CEGASCO envelope had an erasure, but it was countersigned by the supplier, he said.

Pryce Gas offered a bid of P290 per tank, SIG P300, A1 P335, and CEGASCO P288.50, Vega said, so CEGASCO won the bid.

Baylon said the CEGASCO price offer was originally P300 but an erasure was made and it became P288.50.

On May 22 after the consumption of the P250,00 worth of oxygen, four suppliers submitted quotations of P350 per tank and the BAC declared a failed bidding and ordered a re-canvass, Vega said.

On May 23, all four again offered the same bids and the BAC decided to toss a coin or draw lots but non of the suppliers attended, he said, so it opted for a negotiated procurement.

On May 24, Vega said because of the hospital's need for the medical oxygen and compressed air, he signed a BAC Resolution to proceed to Negotiated Procurement. All four suppliers again quoted P350. BAC decided to equally share the quantity among the four suppliers to break the impasse, Vega said.

Before BAC resigned, it had awarded the bidding to the four suppliers , he said.

Baylon charged that, from March to December last year, there had also been no bidding on the hospital purchase of oxygen and he believes this caused the hospital to lose P4.2 million.

It was Vega who conducted the negotiated bidding, not the BAC, Baylon said.

MORE OXYGEN NEEDED

As to the charge that CLMMRH purchased far more oxygen that larger hospitals, Vega said Bionat filed the same complaint three years ago and it did not progress.

In Negros, because of our sugar plantations, there is a lot of pollen in the air, that is why more people get asthma, and that is why more oxygen is needed at the CLMMRH than in other areas, he said. It is validated by the utilization, he said.

OVERWORKED

On allegations that the hospital employees are overworked because they are undermanned, Vega said that on June 12, he wrote to Health Secretary Francisco Duque asking for the lifting of a moratorium for two years now on the filling of vacant positions at the hospital.

Our chief accountant was operated on and diagnosed with breast cancer, and our budget officer II has become blind because of diabetes retinopathy, so officers-in-charge were designated but we lack personnel, he said.

Dr. Elvie Donasco, 29, of Guimaras recently died in the CLMMRH dorm, Vega said, which was believed to be triggered by exhaustion.

SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS

As to accusations of lack of medicines at the hospital pharmacy, and of substandard materials provided the medical staff to use, Vega said the complainants should lodge specific complaints so they can be acted on.

He also pointed out that, under the law, they are required to purchase materials from the lowest bidder.

"The reality of a government hospital is we can never have sufficient funding, personnel and health care, to help our people," he also said.

"We are running the hospital on a low budget…and doing our best to help our patients," Vega said.

TEACHING ALLOWED

Vega also denied that he had committed a violation by also taking on a teaching job.

I have a permit from (Health) Secretary Duque, we are allowed to teach in any medical school provided it is done on Saturdays and Sundays.

But Baylon said Vega had been teaching before he got a permit from Duque.

MOTIVE FOR COMPLAINTS

Vega alleged that Baylon was going after him because he lodged a complaint against him before the DOH, and because he called his attention to the slowness in which papers that pass through his desk are processed.

Baylon, in response, said the complaint Vega filed against him for falsification and dishonesty in relation to his daily time record has no basis. The falsified DTR Vega submitted was not in my handwriting and it is not I who submitted it, Baylon said.

He also said it is Vega who is the one facing charges, and is incompetent.

Vega twists policies to suit his whims, Baylon said.

Vega has ordered that Baylon be removed from the payroll because his punch card had handwritten markings. But Baylon also pointed out that they were initialed by the guard.

Baylon said it is Vega who is the biggest violator of the Civil Service Commission rules as his daily time record does not even have attached punch cards.

Vega claims he is exempted from logging in and out of the hospital, but the CSC rules state that only presidential appointees are exempted, Baylon said.

Vega has also withheld disclosure of the latest CSC audit report on CLMMRH, Baylon also charged.*CPG

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