Now, this is a tough situation.
“In a petition addressed to the Supreme Court, a group of indigent patients, hospital employees, health professionals, citizens and legislators sought to nullify the awarding of the so-called Modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center to the Megawide Construction Corp. and World Citi Consortium,” reports Rey E. Requejo in Manila Standard Today.
It appears that the group will do whatever it takes to stop the Aquino administration from selling the Philippine Orthopedic Center—which is located at Maria Clara Cor. Banawe Sts, Santa Mesa Heights, Quezon City—for PHP5.59 billion.
According to the report, “the project involves the construction of a 700-bed tertiary orthopedic hospital to be located in the National Kidney and Transplant Institute compound along East Avenue, Quezon City.” But there are groups who are not impressed by this, saying that “ceding the management and operations of the POC to a private entity violates guaranteed rights to health care.”
The named respondents in the petition are President Benigno Aquino III, Health Secretary Enrique Ona, DOH Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa, Public-Private Partnership Center Executive Director Cosette Canilao, POC modernization project manager Jan Irish Villegas, National Economic Development Authority director general and vice chairman Arsenio Balisacan, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, and the consortium.
Photo by user Cemby via WikiCommons
