ON THE GRILL
PGH director nominees under scrutiny over hospital woes
by Axel Cainglet, Jose Vicente Miguel Dave, and Casandra Peñaverde
In light of the selection season for the next Philippine General Hospital (PGH) director, healthcare workers and UP Manila faculty raised concerns over poor working conditions and called for better governance from the two nominees amid the lagging healthcare system of the hospital during a public forum at PGH Science Hall, Oct. 28.
Nominees include the incumbent director of PGH, Gerardo D. Legaspi, who vies yet again for his fourth term notwithstanding his nine-year tenure. He faced off with his colleague, Angela G. Sison-Aguilar, a professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and fellow at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of PGH.
As stipulated in Article 79 of the Revised University Code, PGH directors can only serve for a maximum of two terms. However, Legaspi, whose third term was only granted in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, eyes for another extension.
All UP Workers Union-Manila/PGH (AUPW), stressed that the incumbent director’s attempt to extend a term is already unconstitutional. Clamoring for change, the union seeks for a competent candidate who can rally alongside the workers and push forward their campaigns.
Sison-Aguilar’s ideal 7 A’s
As part of her mission “to provide the best health care for our nation,” Sison-Aguilar underscored her 7A’s (Ayos, Akap, Angkop, Abot, Alab, Aral, and Alay) policy, which aims to enhance PGH’s effectiveness and efficiency vis-à-vis healthcare facilities and be at par with ISO 7101:2023, the international standard for healthcare quality management.
Sison-Aguilar noted that the Philippines should attract nurses among other healthcare workers to render service in the country by ensuring just compensation and rewards in exchange for labor work. She also highlighted the inadequacy of nurses in PGH’s operating room, thereby leading to frequent cancellations of hospital operations.
Moreover, the obstetrician emphasized that Legaspi’s focus on expanding and building more hospitals should be shifted to the resolution of the existing needs of PGH and the patients per se.
“Bago mag-expand, ayusin muna natin ang sarili natin,” said Sison-Aguilar, alluding to Legaspi’s plan to expand PGH annexes in Diliman, New Clark City, Carmona City, and Los Baños.
Legaspi’s hold on PGH masterplan
The incumbent director claims that he must complete his legacy project–the PGH Masterplan, or the Infrastructure Development Plan — which is set to take 20 years before its completion.
Gerardo D. Legaspi, or known as ‘Gap’, starred his political efforts and networking charisma on championing public-private partnerships (PPPs) to fund the expansion of PGH across Luzon. As the current state of PGH calls for more attention, Legaspi believes that building PGH Diliman, PGH Carmona, PGH New Clark City, and PGH Los Baños under his UP Academic Healthcare System project is the needed decentralized effort to lessen the in-patients and out-patients in Ermita.
On his attempt to secure a fourth term, Legaspi envisioned PGH to participate in nation-building efforts with the Department of Health by collaborating with various medical institutions and health facilities.
He further laid a framework for State University Hospitals (SUH) Development Track that will guarantee the quality of medical degree graduates, and ensure to complete their services to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. Legaspi highlighted how there are only two state university hospitals — PGH and West Visayas University Hospital — that are limiting the SUH’s capabilities to cater to more patients.
Despite his nine-year stint, the outgoing director pushes to create a plantilla item for a deputy director for research and training education that will focus on the improvement and promotion of research and training in the hospital.
“Mahirap at mabigat yung gampanin ng mga deputy director natin, if I could only share sa mga pinagdadaanan nila,” said Legaspi when confronted on how anti-employees some of the appointed deputy directors are to its constituents.
Good cop, bad cop admin?
After presenting their flagship projects, participants of the forum voiced their grievances, especially with the ongoing issues of Legaspi’s administration.
Benjie Santos, vice president of All UP Workers Union (AUPW) — Manila/PGH, raised a concern on the long-standing inadequate benefits that are yet to be addressed by the administration.
The union asserts that even if they raised the issue since Legaspi’s first day, the incumbent director was not able to satisfy their demands in his nine-year tenure, despite being mandated by law. Their grievances include the lack of free medical examinations and the lack of plantilla positions for employees who passed the Civil Service Exam and have worked for more than 12 months, which are violations of the Magna Carta for Health Care Workers.
Section 4 of the said Magna Carta states that temporary appointments shall only be made if no person is eligible enough to fill the vacancies of the institution, and such temporary appointments must not exceed 12 months and employees that fit the criterion of a good government employee must be permanently employed.
Moreover, Section 27 of the said law mandates free compulsory medical examination of health care workers, inclusive of medicines and such, that is included with the institution’s annual budget.
While the incumbent director mentioned that these problems are due to a lack of budget and he, AUPWU — Manila/PGH rebutted that in their dialogues with the union, he blatantly stated that money is not the problem.
Aside from long-standing issues on employment benefits, the union brought up how Legaspi ran his administration with a ‘good cop, bad cop’ style, worsened by his anti-employee deputy directors.
Legaspi also noted that his move to run for another term was a mandate from the UP administration.
“Ako po ay katulad ng mga nasabi ko sa aking mga dahilan ang pinakamabigat po talaga doon ay ang push from the administration to continue the programs ng systemwide. Ito po ay mandato na binigay sa akin palagay ko ay dahil ka-u-umpisa pa lang, kailangan ko ng isa pang term,.” Legaspi replied.
PGH’s fragmented capabilities
In maximizing the full potential of the only national university hospital, it is imperative to adapt and ride the digital wave and fast-track doctor-patient transactions, said by a fellow resident at the forum.
Sison-Aguilar responded that in her directorship, she will utilize PGH’s integrated management system (IMS) team to be competent. However, Legaspi mentioned, if given a chance for a fourth term, that he will also study the potential of artificial intelligence in incorporating into existing systems.
The question of good governance was brought up in the forum as a former PGH doctor asked the nominees whether or not they will integrate a succession plan as it is one of the fundamental components of good governance.
Sison-Aguilera mentioned that she has done such in the previous organizations she has led, and highlighted its importance given that doing so must be done since the first day of the job.
“Hindi pwedeng isa lang ang pwedeng savior ng isang ospital. Hindi dapat pwedeng ganoon lang ang ating mentalidad. All of us should work. All of us should be consulted, and there should always be not just one or two but a whole host of successors ready to take the task up ready to move that vision forward,” she added
Legaspi, meanwhile, rebutted that the current selection process deems it impossible to do so.
“Until we change that [referring to the process of PGH director selection] like a corporation, [where] we assign a consigliere at the start who will be in the company for 10 to 15 years until he becomes chairman, I think that’s how we make a succession plan. We try to, but the way the PGH director is appointed might make that plan not achievable,” Legaspi answered.
The search committee for the next director will hold sectoral meetings for the selection hereafter. The panel is set to submit all findings to the UP Board of Regents (BOR) by the end of the sectoral consultations by October 29.
