July 26, 2021
Dr. Marissa M. Lim
CMZ Medical Director
Mayor Vitaliano Agan. Ave.,
Zamboanga City, Philippines
RESPONSE LETTER
This is in response to your letter dated July 8, 2021 anent your concern with
my billing statement and admission at Ciudad Medical Zamboanga (CMZ
for brevity) last July 9 to 17, 2021. Unfortunately, I am constrained to reject
your claims and respectfully decline your plea to collect from me the
supposed unpaid bill amounting to Php103,217.91.
I would like to state in this letter of response the fact of the matter and
reasons for my refusal, to wit:
1. On the second day of my confinement at CMZ hospital, I raised my
desire to discontinue my admission and be discharged from your
hospital immediately. This is due to the fact that I do not want to be
burdened by the formidable bills that I might incur. However, my
attending physician, Dr. Jejunee Rivera, gave me an assurance that the
PhilHealth Agency will cover the cost of my admission as my case falls
under the moderate COVID-19 package. Relying on such representation,
I was convinced to continue my confinement;
2. On June 17, 2021, I received a Summary Statement of Account indicating
that I am relieved of any hospital dues. As such, I was discharged the
very same day;
3. A few weeks after being released, I received a letter from your good
office informing me that I failed to qualify for any COVID-19 package
nor even a regular Pneumonia package. Aside from the aforesaid letter,
no other documentary evidence was submitted as basis for my
disqualification nor any certification to that effect from any authorized
Philhealth officer;
4. Moreover, I do not subscribe to the conclusion that I am liable for any
bill provided by the hospital albeit executing an admission form.
Noteworthy to mention that the said admission form and/or waiver
was already extinguished upon my release. I have not waived any right
and vehemently deny any liability brought about by circumstances
which have supervened after my release;
5. I am disconcerted to know that there has been a number of misleading
statements and irregular practices in your operations. It should be noted
that a private pay hospital is impressed with public interest and imbued
with a heavy social responsibility. Also for this reason, I request that
this office cease from plaguing me with improper calls and messages
using different unknown numbers.
In view of the above-stated circumstances, I seek clarification from your
office with pertinent documents to support your claims. In addition to this,
I would like to ask that an internal investigation be conducted to shed light
on the matter. In your company’s quest to eliminate all sorts of bad faith or
the appearance thereof, and to promote the quality of your service to the
public, it would be commendable if your institution would observe
prudence and diligence in all your transactions. Furthermore, I respectfully
request that an application be filed with the Philhealth relative to my case.
Lastly, by sending this letter, it is my intention to stop all harassments and
communications via SMS, calls, and any social media platforms except
through a formal letter. Otherwise, I will be compelled to initiate the
necessary action which may be civil, criminal, or administrative in nature. I
trust that you will see your way clear towards a favorable settlement of this
matter.
Respectfully yours,
Matthew Albert L. Kong, Jr.
