The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allocated P22.98 billion to the Department of Health (DOH) for its Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).
The HFEP aims to achieve health-related sustainable development goals (SDG) targets by providing affordable quality healthcare and specialized treatments to everyone.
The program includes constructing, upgrading, and rehabilitating public health facilities such as barangay health stations, rural health units, urban health centers, and local government unit (LGU) hospitals.
The DOH's HFEP plays a crucial role in realizing the Philippine Health Agenda (PHA) and scaling up healthcare facilities.
President Marcos emphasizes investing in state-of-the-art medical facilities, expanding healthcare access, and deploying medical professionals to enhance care during future health emergencies.
Efforts will be sustained to strengthen government healthcare services and protect the population from future health crises.
The program gives priority to Universal Health Care (UHC) sites and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAS).
DBM allocates P22 B to upgrade healthcare system
At a glance
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said that next year's proposed national budget will focus on strengthening the nationwide healthcare system.
In a statement, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the DBM has allocated P22.98 billion to the Department of Health (DOH) for its Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).
The aim of HFEP is to achieve the health-related sustainable development goals (SDG) targets by meeting affordable quality healthcare and specialized treatments for everyone.
Additionally, the program is meant to construct, upgrade, and rehabilitate public health facilities through building barangay health stations, rural health units and/or urban health centers and local government unit (LGU) hospitals.
“[The] DOH’s HFEP will continue to lead the way in scaling up the nation’s healthcare facilities, a cruel aspect underpinning the realization of the Philippine Health Agenda (PHA),” Pangandaman said.
According to President Marcos, investing in state-of-the-art medical facilities, expanding access to healthcare, and deploying medical professionals can efficiently boost high-quality care to any future health emergencies.
“We will sustain our efforts in strengthening government healthcare services to safeguard the population from future health crises,” he said.
The program also prioritizes the Universal Health Care (UHC) sites and the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAS).
GIDAS are the communities with marginalized population and those who are hard to reach by society and have been socio-economically separated.
Through its healthcare allocation, the budget will be utilized for building, upgrading, and expanding the government-run health care units in the Philippines.
This includes purchasing hospital equipment and medical transport vehicles.
Furthermore, the program is also expected to upgrade essential facilities for robust Covid-19 response measures and managing the ongoing project construction for other medical necessities. (Gabriell Christel Galang)