(MANILA BULLETIN)





The lower chamber has unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill that aims to expand healthcare services by establishing specialized care centers in hospitals under the supervision and control of the Department of Health (DOH). Passed by the House of Representatives during plenary session Monday afternoon, May 8 was House Bill (HB) No. 7751, or the proposed Department of Health Specialty Centers Act. Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto, who presided over the plenary session, announced that 257 House members voted to pass the bill during nominal voting. No less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez is one of the principal authors of House Bill (HB) No. 7751. He said the measure “would make specialized health care accessible to our people in the provinces, especially the poor". "We have specialty hospitals built during the time of the father of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., but all of these are in Quezon City. So our people in the regions and in Visayas and Mindanao who need the services of these health facilities will have to travel all the way to Quezon City to avail of their services,” he noted. The Leyte 1st district congressman was referring to the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines, and Philippine Children’s Medical Center, all of which are located not far from each other on East Avenue and Quezon Avenue. There is the Philippine Orthopedic Hospital in Banawe, also in Quezon City. The Speaker noted that many Filipinos are suffering from heart, kidney, and lung ailments. “So we need more specialty centers, not necessarily rising to the level of a hospital, like those in Quezon City to treat and care for our people requiring specialized health care in the provinces,” he said. He said this is the reason why President Marcos recently asked the Philippine Heart Center to expand to the Clark Freeport in Angeles City, he said. Romualdez added that the establishment of specialty centers would boost the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law. The bill mandates the DOH to establish these centers in select hospitals under its supervision and control. At least one center shall be put in place in every region within five years from the enactment of the bill. The measures sets criteria for these facilities, including health needs and demand, location and performance of the hospitals where the centers would be located, availability of competent specialized health care personnel, and accreditation with Philippine Health Insurance Corp. for patients to avail themselves of relevant health care packages. The existing specialty hospitals in Quezon City shall help in the establishment of specialty centers in the regions and in the development of protocols and standards. They are also mandated to provide technical assistance and training to the centers’ staff.