Hospital director unfazed on ouster move

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The regional director of the biggest government hospital in Region-1 was unfazed about an influential woman who wants his head out at the Region-1 Medical Center (R-1MC).

“Iyong mga ganyan hindi na namin pinapatulan. They can do what they can say (but) we don’t have to appease anyone as we do our job,” Director Joseph Roland Mejia stressed recently to reporters.

Region-1 Medical Center Director Joseph Roland Mejia (2nd from right)
explains the various programs in the biggest government hospital
in the region he is going to implement.

Mejia explained that the woman wanted a piece of a project in the 600-bed hospital by skewing the bidding process in her favour but that would violate the procurement law of the country.

”Iyan ang mahirap sa atin kung humihingi sila. Hindi basta humingi ang contractor, you have to bid, isasama kayo sa bidding. Pag nanalo kayo, kayo ang (winning) bidder. Hindi ho natin maibibigay dahil may procurement process,” he said when asked if his detractor was spurned after she was not accommodated.

The detractor, a source who asked anonymity, is a stakeholder in a gambling franchise and a close friend of a Malacanang official.

Despite the looming reshuffle of directors of national government hospitals all over the country, Mejia said there were however oppositions from the Order of the Department of Health.

They were, he cited, the absence of a guide for the transfer of directors in Mindanao Island who argued on disrupting the harmony of organizational culture in other stations outside the Island, and the effect of the efficiency of the hospital’s staff because the new director will have to know the inherent skills of his subordinates and that would take another two years.

“You have to acquaint yourself and two years is not enough. It wil take three to five years for you to be effective. If you have to be transferred, hinde ka pa makaka adjust doon sa ano mo, babalik ka na naman sa mother unit mo. Kami three years lang ang maximum doon sa station reshuffling. More than three years puwede sila magka violate”.

He said he would still be retained at R1MC because of the programs he started there.

He cited that a director like him who supervises a 600-bed hospital could not just be transferred in a 150-bed government hospital in Batac, Ilocos Norte because that would be a demotion.

“Department Order (says) you can’t be transferred to a smaller hospital because that’s a demotion. It should be the same hospital as big as R1MC”.

Mejia cited that the one that fits his stature is the East Avenue Medical Center or the Philippine Heart’s Center in Manila.

Six of the District Congressmen in Pangasinan opposed Mejia’s reshuffle outside in this city.