LTO: 160 clinics issued certifications without examining patients
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has started investigating 160 medical clinics across the country that are believed to have issued certifications without examining patients.
LTO chief and transportation Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said the agency received reports that erring LTO-accredited medical clinics are engaged in “nonappearance issuance” of medical certificates.
“It’s very clear that even if you do not undergo checkup in these clinics [and] just as long as you’re willing to pay, you will be issued medical certificates. This is not right and we ensure that we will go after them,” Mendoza said in a statement.
Show-cause orders
The assistant secretary said all the 160 medical clinics will start receiving show-cause orders next week.
A medical certificate is a major requirement to get a driver’s license. They may be obtained from LTO-accredited government hospitals or private medical clinics, usually located near LTO licensing centers.
Applicants must undergo various medical tests such as eye test, blood test, drug test, blood-pressure checkup, hearing and speaking test, disability checkup and mental health. The applicant’s medical history is also scrutinized.
Charges being readied
Mendoza said Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the LTO to prepare all the necessary administrative and criminal charges against those involved, including physicians who are signatories to the nonappearance medical certificates.
He said the modus operandi of the medical clinics, if confirmed, “clearly compromised road safety since there is no actual check-up for applicants of driver’s license.”
“I have already ordered the respective regional directors to retrieve all the medical certificates issued by these medical clinics and to inform those who were issued with driver’s license through questionable medical certificates to explain,” Mendoza said.
“If evidence warrants, we will revoke the accreditation of these medical clinics and impose a lifetime ban against them for any transaction with the LTO in the future,” he added.
The LTO did not say how the modus was uncovered; the agency also did not disclose if the 160 clinics included both government and private facilities.
