Dear PAO,
We went through difficult times a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, our situation became even more worse when one hospital refused to give us the necessary emergency care and treatment without any prior payment. Such requirement would have been acceptable on our part if only it did not cause us unnecessary delay. Can hospitals really demand a prior payment before catering to an emergency?
Happy
Dear Happy,
The answer to your query is no. To elucidate this point, allow me to lead your attention to Republic Act 10932, otherwise known as "An Act Strengthening the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law." Succinctly, Section 1 of the law dictates that it is unlawful for any proprietor, president, director, manager or any other officer and/or medical practitioner or employee of a hospital or medical clinic to request, solicit, demand or accept any deposit or any other form of advance payment as a prerequisite for administering basic emergency care to any patient, confinement or medical treatment of a patient in such hospital, viz:
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