House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co reminded his solon-colleagues on Monday, Sept. 12 not to forget about the other challenges confronting the the health sector aside from the ongoing threat of Covid-19.
“For two-and-a-half years, the country experienced a health crisis like no other. It was unprecedented—in scale, scope, and impact. Walang katulad. Wala ring katulad ang mga aral na dulot nito (It was like no other. The lessons we learned were also like no other)," Co said in his speech during the budget hearing of the Department of Health (DOH).
"We will endeavor to learn the hard lessons the pandemic taught us. We will use those learnings to serve our countrymen better,” the panel chairman said.
Co said that aside from Covid-19 and its attendant problems, the country continues to suffer from debilitating diseases.
That’s why, he said, “We must ensure that there are enough funds to construct more hospitals and health facilities. We also need to prioritize non-Covid medical needs like reproductive health; non-communicable diseases like diabetes, and kidney and heart disease; research and development; and even international cooperation, among others.”
The appropriations panel takes the lead when it comes to the budget process, or in this case, the passage of the proposed P5.268-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2023.
For 2023, the DOH is alloted P195.63 billion under the NEP, or proposed national budget.
Of the figure, qbout P5.84 billion is allocated for prevention and control of communicable diseases. The amount would cover first-line tuberculosis drugs for more than 150,000 adults and pediatric TB patients, as well as antiretroviral therapy for more than 60,000 adults and over 100 children.
About P8.26 billion is earmarked for family health, immunization, nutrition, and responsible parenting. The amount would cover routine vaccines for over 2 million children 1 year old or younger, as well as family planning commodities for at least 3 million women.
About P2.10 billion is allocated for mental health items to at least 213 access sites and for cancer items to at least 28 access sites.
In her presentation of the DOH proposed 2023 budget, Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the ultimate goal of the department was to have healthier Filipinos who enjoy better, equitable outcomes; a responsive health system; and improved financial risk protection.
Almost 75 percent of the combined budget of the Office of the Secretary and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) goes to universal health care, Covid-19 response, and health systems resilience.
Meanwhile, more than P75.626 billion is earmarked for the health emergency allowance for the more than 805,000 health care workers (HCWs). More than P920 million has also been set aside for Covid-19 compensation of 60,000 HCWs.