The Commission on Audit (COA) has cleared a head nurse of the University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) from financial responsibility related to the loss of hospital equipment during a fire that struck the facility in 2021.
In a decision released by the state audit body, the nurse assigned to the hospital’s Operating Room Sterilization Area was relieved of liability over medical equipment valued at around P60.2 million that were destroyed during the blaze.
COA explained that the loss of the equipment resulted from the fire incident and was not caused by negligence or misconduct on the part of the hospital staff member. Because of this, the auditor ruled that the nurse should not be required to reimburse the government for the destroyed items.
The 2021 fire at the country’s largest government hospital damaged several sections of the facility, forcing temporary disruptions in some medical services while authorities assessed the damage and began rehabilitation efforts.
State auditors noted that the nurse had properly performed her duties in safeguarding hospital property and that the incident was beyond her control. As a result, the accountability previously attributed to her for the lost equipment was lifted.
The ruling effectively removes the financial obligation tied to the incident and closes the audit issue concerning the equipment destroyed during the fire.