FACILITY NEEDS REHABILITATION: ‘St. John Hospital is not for sale’

Majority stockholder Ma. Lutgarda Panday-Calleja has declared that St. John Hospital is not for sale, amid reports that its president, Dr. Jose Pierre Panday, has been exploring the possibility of selling the medical facility.

Calleja is set to call a special stakeholders meeting to discuss issues surrounding the management and future of St. John Hospital, including a reported plan to sell the medical facility.

In a paper outlining the reasons for the meeting, Calleja raised alleged violations involving the hospital, including tax liabilities with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), pending criminal complaints from doctors and consultants, alleged violations of Department of Health (DOH) policies, and alleged violations of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules concerning stock transactions.

Insiders at the healthcare facility who requested anonymity alleged that hospital president Dr. Jose Pierre Panday had offered the hospital for sale to the management of Mother Seton Hospital. There are reports also that Panday later offered the facility to Naga College Foundation (NCF) for P200 million, but was declined by the NCF after it was learned that Panday had no authority from the board to sell the hospital.

The move to sell the medical facility has met resistance from Calleja and employees.

Saying that St. John Hospital is not for sale, Calleja stressed that she is instead pushing for its rehabilitation. She said potential investors have already expressed interest in putting capital into the hospital to help restore and improve its operations.

St. John Hospital, established in January 8, 1972, has long served patients in Naga City and nearby areas. Calleja said the institution is also part of the legacy of her father, the late Dr. Pedro R. Panday, and should therefore be preserved and rehabilitated rather than sold.

The allegations against the hospital management spearheaded by Panday have yet to be independently established, while Panday and the hospital management have yet to issue their response to the claims.

The hospital is currently classified by the Department of Health as a Level 1 facility. Calleja said she intends to pursue its upgrading to Level 2 through the establishment of additional private rooms, a dialysis unit, an intensive care unit, a dietary department, and an expanded laboratory. She said, however, that efforts to establish these additional facilities have remained stalled for about 15 years since Panday assumed the presidency.

A special stakeholders’ meeting is expected to be held next month. The meeting is seen as a possible initial step toward discussions on the hospital’s future administration, including Calleja’s proposed leadership of the facility.

The stakeholders’ meeting is also expected to address reports of unpaid pharmaceutical supplies and medicines, which insiders said have affected the regular delivery of such supplies to the hospital.

Insiders also said the hospital has been sending out laboratory test requests to outside facilities, a practice that has reportedly drawn concerns from some hospital consultants.

Efforts to reach Dr. Panday for his side/comments on the issues raised against the hospital management proved futile at press time on wednesday, September 16.