00:00 In exchange for the hospital, he is now asking a private hospital in Valenzuela to issue a bill that some of the unpaid bills are not eligible for.
00:13 Jonathan Aldar is in the picture.
00:15 Three days ago, a private hospital in Valenzuela City did not issue a bill for Richelle after her husband, a hospital patient, died.
00:26 His wife allowed him to go home, but he did not allow her to go home.
00:31 Because of the unpaid hospital bill of more than half a million pesos.
00:35 My husband is outside. He is in a burrow. I am in the hospital. I cannot help. I am thinking of what to do.
00:47 Even if he just buys food outside, it is prohibited. He is always in the waiting area of the ICU where he is being watched by the guard.
00:56 When he reached the gate of the hospital, Richelle ran away.
01:00 His wife was still weak until a while ago.
01:02 That is why he had to go out in the middle of the press conference with the Valenzuelan officials.
01:07 I told him that he should pay the bill yesterday or the day before he died.
01:13 He should not pay the bill when he is dead.
01:15 That is how he is. He has no mercy.
01:16 He asked for money before he was admitted to the emergency room.
01:21 That is a violation of Republic Act 10932 or the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law.
01:27 The brother of John and Loverie was also arrested in the same hospital.
01:32 They allowed my wife to go out, but my brother was left behind.
01:38 They wanted me to settle that day.
01:40 Loverie was stopped by the guard when he was about to go out of the hospital to buy food.
01:45 He was taken to the office of the safety officer and was not allowed to go out of the hospital for 4 hours
01:51 because they were not able to pay the bill that exceeded P700,000.
01:55 Because his brother did not want to let him go out, John was asked by the hospital to pay the initial payment of P50,000 and promissory note.
02:04 The promissory note, even though it is against my will, because it is really big,
02:08 they want me to pay P100,000 tomorrow and every other day P100,000 and the balance on the next day.
02:16 I don't know where they can get such a big amount.
02:19 That is why it is really hard for us.
02:22 With the help of Valenzuela LGU, they filed a complaint in the fiscal year for slight and serious illegal detention
02:30 against several employees of ACE Medical Center.
02:33 We went to the hospital earlier, but they said that we talked to the information desk.
02:37 Their safety officer said that they will not give an explanation first.
02:41 We are trying to get their statement.
02:44 We got the GMA Integrated News, a copy of their counter affidavit on the accusation of John and Loverie.
02:49 They denied the alleged illegal detention because there is no element of imprisonment or lockdown.
02:55 The door of the room where Loverie was brought in was not locked.
02:59 And it was not stopped from going out of the hospital.
03:02 According to Republic Act 9439, patients who cannot pay the bill cannot be imprisoned in the hospital.
03:08 It has a fine of up to P50,000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months.
03:13 But Valenzuela LGU is lacking in that, so they will make an ordinance to punish the hospitals more severely.
03:20 I understand that they are businessmen.
03:22 That is why we have measures like other private hospitals where the corpse is not released,
03:29 the death certificate is not released.
03:32 But I am surprised that they are not releasing a living person.
03:36 LGU wrote to the Department of Health to investigate the alleged head-butting in the hospital.
03:42 For GMA Integrated News, Jonathan Andal, Nakatutok, 24 Hours.
03:47 ♪
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