DOH execs face complaint over alleged mismanagement of funds for cancer patients 

A medical officer of the Department of Health (DOH) has filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against some of the agency's officials over the alleged mismanagement of funds for cancer patients.

In his complaint, Dr. Clarito Cairo Jr. accused DOH Undersecretary Beverly Lorraine Ho, former Director IV Anna Guerrero, Director IV Razel Nikka Hao, Director IV Anthony Cu, and doctors Kim Tejano and Jan Aura Laurelle Llevado of grave misconduct, malversation of public funds, and violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

According to Cairo, the sub-allotment of funds for the Cancer and Supportive-Palliative Medicines Access Program (CSPMAP) to selected access sites was highly disadvantageous to the government and a disservice to many CSPMAP-enrolled patients.

Cairo said that despite his intervention, the respondents pursued the sub-allotment of P781 million to only 19 access sites instead of 31.

He said the respondents allegedly conspired to undermine his technical expertise and institutional memory, which led to the "mismanagement" of the budget.

"The Philippine General Hospital, Rizal Medical Center, and Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center which catered to a lot of cancer patients since 2011 had been unreasonably excluded from the list of access sites this 2022," the complaint read.

"Thus, many of their CSPMAP-enrolled patients had to discontinue or abandon their treatment due to the unavailability of the life-saving medicine," it added.

The DOH said that although it has yet to see the complaint, it acted in the best interest of cancer patients nationwide who are reliant on the agency’s cancer program.

"All the processes undertaken by the DOH, through the cancer program, were unanimously approved by the National Integrated Cancer Control Council," the DOH said.

"And other DOH hospitals alleged to have been excluded from receiving funds were actually provided cancer medicines and cancer assistance funds, which can be used for diagnostics, treatment, and other needed support of cancer patients," it added.

Cairo also urged the Ombudsman to issue preventive suspension orders against the respondents.  —VBL, GMA Integrated News