LEFTIST congressmen urged their colleagues in the House of Representatives to sign a petition asking the Duterte administration to provide sufficient funding for government hospitals in the 2017 budget to avoid detrimental effects on public service, particularly to the poor.
“I wonder if President Duterte is aware of the health budget cuts and its dire consequences on poor patients. This is the opposite of the Cuba public health care model which he instructed Secretary Paulyn Ubial to learn from,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate.
“Secretaries Benjamin Diokno and Ubial should have a heart and reconsider the budget cuts,” he said as he urged congressmen to sign the petition titled “Legislators Unite: Stop Hospital Budget Cuts” asking the administration to save 26 national hospitals and dozens of LGU facilities from closure.
So far, Zarate said 98 legislators have affixed their signatures to the petition meant to ensure adequate financial support for equipment and personnel that would assure poor patients can continue to get free or low-cost care.
Gabriela Women’s Party also urged the Departments of Health, Finance and Budget and Management to fully disclose long-term plans for the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
“The DoH said that the budget for the transfer and upgrade of Fabella to DoH-San Lazaro Compound amounts to P2.00025 billion—P1.617 billion for infrastructure and P383.25 million for medical equipment, in a report on the Transfer and Modernization of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital dated 28 September 2016 yet the P383 million budget intended for medical equipment component was not included in the DoH 2017 NEP,” said Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus.
“We cannot allow such haphazard, clearly unplanned moves that will jeopardize the health and well being of indigent mothers in Metro Manila who hope to avail of health services in Fabella, a known public maternity hospital for the poor,” she added.
The two legislators said the 2017 General Appropriations Act cut the budgets of 12 specialty hospitals by as much as P446.8 million.
This is 25 percent of the 2016 MOOE of P1.81 billion which is now pegged at P1.36 billion in the 2017 GAA. Most affected will be the Philippine Orthopedic Center (44 percent decrease), Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital (43 percent decrease), and the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center (37 percent decrease).
Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said they intend to propose realignments in the 2017 budget to augment the shortages in the allocations for social services including healthcare.
“The Duterte government needs to put its money where its mouth is. The promise of improving people’s access to health services cannot be realized with a health program that pours its resources into a health insurance while cutting down on expenditure for government hospitals,” Brosas said.