COVID-19 hospitals in QC to get P1.3-B budgetary hike this year--Defensor
The current P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022 will provide a 10-figure subsidy to several government-owned coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment hospitals in Quezon City.

According to Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor, the extra taxpayer subsidy amounting to P1.3 billion "will allow these hospitals to provide more services and financial assistance to their patients, many of whom are residents of Quezon City".
Defensor said that the Lung Center of the Philippines, a COVID-19 referral and treatment hospital, will receive an augmentation of P179 million, or a subsidy of P684 million this year from P505 million last year.
The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) will get P300 million more, from P1.3 billion to P1.6 billion, while the Philippine Heart Center will have an additional P100 million, from P1.8 billion to P1.9 billion, Defensor said.
He pointed out that in the case of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC), its 2022 budget will go down by P400 million to P1.5 billion because its allocation for the procurement of various medical equipment in 2021 was a one-time appropriation.
The solon said the East Avenue Medical Center, another COVID-19 treatment hospital, will get an additional subsidy of P400 million, from P2.2 billion to P2.6 billion; while the Quirino Memorial Medical Center, formerly the Labor Hospital, will have P200 million more, from P1.1 billion to P1.3 billion.
Funds for the Philippine Orthopedic Center will be augmented by P102 million, from P934 million to P1.036 billion; while those for the National Children’s Hospital will go up by P66 million, from P595 million to P661 million.
Aside from national government-run health facilities in Quezon City, Defensor said the city owns several hospitals that cater to local esidents.
“The city should match the national government initiative by allocating more funds to its hospitals to accommodate more patients, especially at this time of pandemic,” he said.
Defensor, who is running for Quezon City mayor, promised to support city hospitals with sufficient funds if he wins in the May 2022 polls.