A new era has dawned on Gov.
Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH) highlighted by: a newly
constructed modern Hemo-Dialysis Center comparable to those of Cebu and Manila,
a new high rise building, new hospital equipment, continuing construction of the
Pharmacy, Blood Bank, Rehabilitation Center, Emergency facility and the newly
built Malasakit Center. Medical services have greatly improved breaking the
stigma that government service equates poor service. Behind all these
developments is a type of aggressive but proactive management implemented by
the new Medical Center Chief in the person of Dr. Mutya Kismet T. Macuno.
Truly, Dr. Macuno is God sent especially for us dialysis patients who have
experienced the worst condition before. The old Hemo-Dialysis Unit (HDU) was
located in a small room with ten not well known brand of dialysis machines
placed side by side very near each other. Admitted patients have dialysis
together with the regular outpatients such that risk of infection or
contamination is high. The room has poor ventilation and noisy with not so
disciplined HDU Staff. The old HDU is right beside a huge electric generator
creating a fire hazard in case of power overload. It is also beside the
hospital’s morgue. Dialysis patients and their watchers in the waiting area are
used to seeing dead patients in stretcher wheeled on the dirty hallway.
In contrast
to the old HDU, the new HDU started operation in July, 2018 is located in front
of the hospital which is newly painted with appropriate combination of suiting
colors, it has 15 brand new German made Fresenius dialysis machines placed not
so close to each other, very clean comfort room, well lighted and with
sufficient number of big split-type air-conditioners, state of the art water
filtration facility, readily available oxygen outlets on the wall per patient
and most of all; it has newly trained dialysis staff with two doctors on an
eight hour shift. We are also very blessed because we do not have to pay for
our dialysis. We are covered by 90 dialysis sessions per year under PHILHEALTH
on a no balance billing scheme. Upon exhaustion of our PHILHEALTH benefits our
dialysis expenses are automatically charged to the PDAF and Medical Assistance
Fund (MAF) provided by the DOH, Governor and Congressmen of Bohol. Our monthly
laboratory tests expenses are also charged to the PDAP/MAF. Depending on funds
availability, part of our maintenance medicines expenses are also charged to
the MAF.
As a gesture
of gratitude, I have written a letter (copy printed below) to Dr. Macuno for
all that she has done for us dialysis patients and to all the patients of GCGMH:
July 11, 2018
Dr. Mutya Kismet T. Macuno MD FPPS,
FPSNbM, MDM
Medical Center Chief II
GCGMH, Tagbilaran City
Dear Madam:
After so many years of longing for a new
relocation site of our old HDU, finally our dreams are fulfilled by an angel
who knows what we feel and what we need and that is you. In behalf of the Bohol
Association of Hemo-Dialysis Patients and Watchers (BOASHEPAWA) we would like
to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for everything that you have done for
us. You are truly a child of God who knows how to take care of His people.
Having a new site for the HDU is one of
the major objectives of our association. I have written Dr. Arcay some letters
regarding this but he seemed to be having difficulty accomplishing our request
then. For your information, our other objectives that we have fulfilled are the
following:
1. Our
2nd Board Resolution was about the putting up of the provincial
office of the Phillipine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO); and thru the
intervention of Gov. Chatto our request was granted;
2. Our
next request was on the extension of PHILHEALTH’s 45 dialysis sessions per year
to 90 sessions per year. The granting of our request was facilitated by Cong.
Relampagos thru his relative who is a ranking officer of PHILHEALTH;
3. Then,
the request to Sec. Butch Abad on financial assistance coming from taxes from
vice such as cigarette, liquor and gambling thru Cong. Relampagos. This could
be the result of funds coming from Congressmen and the Medical Assistance Fund;
and,
4. Also,
our association was able to give financial assistance to the family of our
members who died (P1,000.00 pesos for directors / officers and P500.00 pesos
for regular members).
Our current objective is to have a
gathering probably on a beach to know more of each other, exchange experiences
and insights about dialysis; and have an election afterwards.
You have done so much for us, but if you
could extend an accreditation of our association in the future or refer a forum
on dialysis, then, we could not ask for more.
Thank you very much and regards.
Very truly yours,
SIGNED:
BUEN T. DOMINGO
Chairman, BOASHEPAWA
When I
became a regular dialysis patient of GCGMH in October, 2011, I saw the need of
putting up an association of dialysis patients with a legal personality
(registered with the SEC) for us to be able to express our needs, privileges /
rights and to legally solicit financial assistance for our dialysis needs.
Also, I thought that it would not be difficult for me to do the organizing
since I was an Area Development Officer of the UCPB-CIIF Finance and
Development Corporation and I have experience in Community Development by
organizing Small Coconut Farmers Organizations. I immediately organized a core
group despite some negative feedback by the patients and nurses who were
opposed to an association of dialysis patients (maybe they were “burned” by
their previous experiences in organizations). I prepared the basic requirements
and went to the provincial office of the SEC. I lost count of the number of times
I went back to the office of SEC in Bohol to comply with the additional
requirements or amendments in our documents since the SEC is very meticulous in
screening applicant organization for registration. I have to go to the National
Office of SEC in Manila to personally submit our registration documents to
facilitate its approval despite my physical condition. I have water in my lungs
due to previous Pneumonia infection and high blood pressure. I was gasping for
air with my wife when we were crossing the overpass in Ortigas. At last on May
9, 2013, our association of dialysis patients and watchers was registered with
the SEC with Registration Number: CN 201326623.
Having
dialysis before is very difficult since there was no provincial office of the
PCSO. The patients themselves or their close relatives have to go to the
National Office of PCSO in Manila just to get a 20 thousand pesos per three
months financial assistance for the cost of dialysis. The 45 dialysis sessions
per year of PHILHEALTH before was not enough to cover our dialysis cost for a
year. They have to ride a ship to go to Manila and wait for many hours in a
long line at the PCSO office only to get a net of 16 thousand pesos not
considering the health risk of the patients. So we are grateful when our
request for the putting up of the provincial office of the PCSO was granted.
Also, we have to individually solicit funds from politicians and NGOs. During
the period from November to December, many of the indigent patients have to
undergo dialysis for once a week only instead of the regular twice a week due
to lack of funds.
We learned
that having an association is effective in lobbying for our dialysis needs, so
we passed a Board Resolution requesting the PHILHEALTH to extend its assistance
of 45 dialysis sessions per year to 90 dialysis sessions per year. We provided
copies of our request to Congressmen and post it in the social media joining
other dialysis patients associations with the same request. At last, our plea
was considered by PHILHEALTH and the 90 dialysis sessions per year was finally
approved.
We also saw
the opportunity of getting financial assistance from the government through the
Sin Taxes (taxes obtained from cigarettes, alcohol and gambling), so we passed
a Board Resolution requesting the then Budget Secretary, Butch Abad, to allot
some funds for dialysis assistance. We wrote the Congressmen of Bohol to do the
same from their Priority Development Fund or PDAF.
We are very grateful, when the Congressmen
started allocating funds directly to the GCGMH and the DOH has implemented
their Medical Assistance Program for the hospital. From then on and with Dr.
Macuno at the helm as Chief of the Hospital, we do not have a problem regarding
our dialysis needs.
Many thanks
for our prayers that have been heard. Merry Christmas and a happy prosperous
New Year to everyone.
