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Bong Go vows to restore cuts made in DOH's budget

Philippines | National

Bong Go vows to restore cuts made in DOH's budget

By Hannah L. Torregoza

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has vowed to pursue continued funding for the Department of Health (DOH), saying it is important to prioritize the budget towards pandemic recovery and being prepared for any possible future health crisis.

Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go (Senate PRIB Photo)

Go stressed this as he expressed his concern over the proposed P10-billion budget cut for the DOH in the 2024 national budget.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography also said it is imperative to ensure that the Philippine healthcare system is robust and ready to handle not only the ongoing pandemic, but also any possible health emergencies.

Go recalled that before the Covid-19 pandemic started in the country, he opposed state economic managers’ proposal to slash the budget of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

“My hunch was right, that office had a huge role during the pandemic because it was the lead agency that conducted Covid-19 tests,” Go recalled.

Go also stressed the need to augment the Cancer Assistance Fund which will also receive a P1-billion funding for next year’s budget.

“It’s important to prioritize our healthcare system. the more we should improve, the more we should add to the budget of our health department,” he stressed.

“As chairman of the committee on health, I want to build more hospitals, more Super Health Centers and other health facilities like the Regional Specialty Centers because we do not know if this is the last pandemic that will happen in our life. It’s important to be prepared,” he reiterated.

Related Tags

Bong Go Department of Health (DOH) 2024 national budget

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