BEYOND BUDGET
Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
Last week, I had an insightful meeting with the Alliance of Health Workers led by President Robert T. Mendoza. The meeting provided a venue for us to discuss the needs and concerns of our healthcare workers who are ready to serve our people, especially during health emergencies. This included the grant of health emergency allowances (HEA) to our healthcare workers.
As we have clarified, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has already released a total of ₱91.283 billion for the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances (PHEBA) covering all healthcare workers’ benefits from 2021 to 2023. The funds were released to the Department of Health (DOH), as the implementing agency, in the following years: ₱12.1 billion in 2021; ₱28 billion in 2022; ₱31.1 billion in 2023; and ₱19.962 billion this 2024.
In a letter to DOH, we noted that the released fund for PHEBA, included some ₱73.26 billion for HEA/One Covid-19 Allowance, ₱12.90 billion for Special Risk Allowance, ₱3.65 billion for Covid-19 Sickness and Death Compensation, and ₱1.4 billion for other benefits, such as meals, accommodation, and transportation allowance. Meanwhile, per latest report of DOH to DBM, out of the said amount, the agency was able to disburse a total of ₱64 billion. Earlier this year, the DBM and DOH met and agreed on the need for the DOH to urgently finalize the computation of the HEA claims in arrears to enable the DBM to determine if additional funding requirements are necessary despite the cumulatively released PHEBA allocations for our healthcare and non-healthcare workers. DBM also suggested that the DOH develop and publish on its website for transparency, a HEA mapping to capture and present all PHEBA claims and payments by Region/Health Facility for the period covered by the benefit to expedite the final determination of the amount of deficiency to cover the full settlement of arrears. The DOH committed to submit the HEA mapping with the final amount of computed PHEBA deficiencies, subject to the DBM’s validation based on submitted documents and the amounts reflected in the HEA Processing System.
As you may know, one of the focus areas of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s (PBBM’s) Eight-Point Socio-economic Agenda is healthcare. As His Excellency highlighted in his 2023 State of the Nation Address, “We are now refocusing our health priorities, applying the lessons learned from the pandemic and addressing the weaknesses that it has exposed. Healthier communities and lifestyles are our advocacy.”
In adherence to PBBM’s directive, the DBM is sustaining efforts in strengthening government healthcare services to safeguard the population from future health crises, as manifested in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA). This involves enhancing our healthcare infrastructure, ensuring adequate medical supplies, and strengthening our healthcare workforce. I am confident that as we invest in state-of-the-art medical facilities, expand healthcare access, and deploy healthcare professionals, we can provide high-quality care and respond effectively to any future health emergencies.
Thus, we have allocated ₱68.5 billion for the operations of DOH Metro Manila and Regional Hospitals. As part of our efforts to ensure up-to-date health facilities, ₱28.58 billion has also been allocated for the implementation of DOH’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program. This amount is higher by 6.6 percent from the ₱26.81 billion earmarked in 2023.
I believe that among the many things that the recent pandemic accentuated worldwide is the importance of equity-focused health care. Bearing in mind the burden of health issues on the population, the government is doing its best to give every Filipino, especially the most vulnerable, access to fair and quality medical care. Hence, we have allocated ₱58 billion for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially-Incapacitated Patients for their hospitalization and medical support, including, but not limited to, in-patient, out-patient, comprehensive check-ups and emergency services, as well as drugs, medicine, and professional fees. This translates to a 78 percent increase from its previous ₱32.6 billion allocation in the 2023 budget.
Additionally, the DBM allocated ₱18 billion for the National Health Workforce Support System that gives priority to deployment of health workers in fifth and sixth class municipalities; geographically isolated and disadvantaged barangays, Indigenous Peoples communities; communities where the absolute number of poor and the incidence of poverty are high; and municipalities unable to achieve Human Resources for Health standards that includes priority government health facilities.
Meanwhile, under DOH’s Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases program, a total of ₱1.024 billion was appropriated to implement the Cancer Control Program to cover the cost of cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care as components of the established National Integrated Cancer Control Program. This is exclusively for procuring and delivering cancer medicines, supportive care, and palliative care medicines covering eight treatable cancer types. In addition, ₱1.25 billion has been appropriated to the Cancer Assistance Fund, a 150 percent increase from its ₱500 million budget last year. The fund shall be used for cancer prevention, screening, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and its care-related components.
Further, almost ₱28 billion has been appropriated under the FY 2024 budget for the procurement of drugs, medicines and vaccines, and medical and dental supplies for distribution to government healthcare facilities. Of the said amount, 80 percent shall be allocated to provinces where the incidence of diseases is high.
Beyond budget, I believe that the continued support for our health sector is crucial in attaining PBBM’s dream to transform the country into a Bagong Pilipinas where Filipinos have access to quality primary health care. On the part of the DBM, rest assured that we are committed to ensuring the welfare of our hardworking healthcare workers and the whole healthcare sector through transformative budget and management initiatives that will shape and secure an inclusive and sustainable country for all.
(Amenah F. Pangandaman is the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.)