MARIKINA City--Different urban poor groups led by Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) marched through Sumulong Highway this morning to the gate of Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (ARMMC) to protest impending privatization of their public hospital.
AMMRC is a 150-bed public medical center located in Marikina City.
According to urban poor group Kadamay, once ARMMC is privatized, it will no longer be accessible to poor patients from Marikina, Antipolo, part of Pasig and the municipalities of Cainta, San Mateo and Rodriguez in Rizal, due to tremendous increase in the cost of its health services.
Members of Anakpawis, Gabriela and a vendors' group in the city joined in today's protest as they called on incumbent local officials, especially those running again for posts this coming midterm election, to block the privatization of the public hospital.
Incumbent Marikina City Mayor Del De Guzman, Marikina City 1st District Rep. Marcelino Teodoro, and Marikina City 2nd District Romero Quimbo are all bidding for another term in their offices.
The group particularly asked their incumbent congressmen to block the passage of House Bills 6069 and 6145 in the Lower House which plan to corporatize 26 public hospitals in the country, the ARMMC included.
Meanwhile, at 1230pm today, a similar urban poor protest was held outside the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, another public hospital that is bound to be privatized under Aquino's Public-Private Partnership and Universal Health Care programs.
The actions are part of Kadamay's series of protests leading to the Pre-Bid Conference of the Modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center to be held by the Department of Health and PPP Center tomorrow, January 25, at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) Diagnostic Center, where hundreds of urban poor and health workers are planning to stage a big die-in protest.
Reference: Gloria Arellano, Kadamay national chair, 0921.392.7457
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KALIPUNAN NG DAMAYANG MAHIHIRAP
Militanteng Sentro ng Maralitang Lungsod sa Pilipinas
12-A Kasiyahan St., Don Antonio Hts., Brgy. Holy Spirit, QC
427.4315 | kadamay-natl.blogspot.com | kadamay_national@yahoo.com
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