THE Quezon City council is supporting additional penalties for hospitals demanding deposits from patients before treatment.
The 36-member council passed a resolution calling for the immediate passage of a Senate bill giving stiffer penalties to hospitals and medical clinics that require deposits for medical treatment.
Quezon City Council Resolution 6955-2016, authored by Councilor Roger Juan, reiterated the need to increase the penalties for hospitals and medical clinics engaged in such practices in violation of the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law.
The measure also supports providing incentives to hospitals and clinics willing to provide emergency medical services to indigent city residents, as provided for by the Senate bill.
Senator Riza Hontiveros authored Senate Bill 216, which aims to increase the penalties for the refusal of hospitals and clinics to administer appropriate initial medical treatment and support in emergency or serious cases.
The bill also seeks to amend the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law by increasing the penalties for violating the provisions of the law, and to expand the definition of emergency care, which will now also cover women in active labor and at risk of miscarriage.
“The Quezon City government believes that the preservation of human life should be the paramount consideration and it is high time to fill in the gaps of the law to address the incessant reports on its violation,” Juan said.