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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Here's how many Pinoys could be affected by indigent patients' budget cut in GOCC hospitals

Here's how many Pinoys could be affected by indigent patients' budget cut in GOCC hospitals

Published Sep 12, 2022 11:06 am

Twenty-seven thousand individuals.

(Danie Franco/ Unsplash)

That's how many Filipinos are expected to be affected by the reduction in the assistance funds allocated for indigent patients to Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporation (GOCC) hospitals.

During the House Committee on Appropriations' deliberation on the Department of Health's (DOH) proposed budget under the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP) Monday, Sept. 12, minority member Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel brought up the fund slash and asked the reason behind it.

"Also doon naman sa ating (when it comes to our) GOCC hospitals, I like to ask kung bakit may kaltas doon sa (why there was a reduction in the) assistance to indigent patients. At sino ang nagpropose ng kaltas sa funding na ito (And who proposed to reduce this funding)?

Manuel noted that from P4.93 billion under the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or enacted national budget, the indigent patients' assistance fund was reduced to P4.66 billion under the 2023 NEP--a difference of around P270 million.

"According to our unit, it was reverted back to the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) to the NEP level of 2022," DOH Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, who led the agency's contingent to the budget briefing, replied.

Asked by the youth solon how many indigent patients the budget cut could affect, Vergeire said that the DOH's allocation is pegged at P10,000 per patient.

Manuel did some quick math and came up with 27,000 individuals.

There are four specialty hospitals attached to the DOH operating as GOCCs. These are the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Children's Medical Center and Lung Center of the Philippines.

House members may still augment the proposed P4.66-billion assistance fund for indigent patients under GOCC hospitals via fund realignment in the NEP.

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