AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee (Rep.Lee's office)

AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee said that the Department of Health (DOH) should make it its New Year’s resolution to be more proactive in increasing the health benefit packages of Filipinos, especially with its more than P500 billion or half a trillion available funds. 

This, as Lee said that the recently-approved benefit increases by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealth) board were "still lacking". The DOH leads the PhilHealth Board and the Benefits Committee (BenCom).

Lee, a senatorial aspirant, reckoned that the DOH should waste no time in providing better medical care services for every Filipino. 

The Bicolano has persistently fought for additional benefit increases for more than a year now amid controversies surrounding the “unused” funds of PhilHealth.

“Kahit para na tayong sirang plaka sa paulit-ulit na panawagan na gamitin ang pondo ng kalusugan para sa kalusugan, di tayo titigil dahil ito ang talagang makakabawas sa pangamba ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na sa pagkakasakit dahil sa mahal na gamot at pagpapagamot,” Lee said.

(Even if I turn into a broken record with our appeal to utilize health funds for actual healthcare, we will not stop as this helps temper the worries of our countrymen, especially since medication is costly.)

“Maganda sanang Pamasko sa ating mga kababayan kung sumunod lang ang DOH sa ipinaglaban at naikasa nating commitment na nilagdaan mismo ng pinuno nito para mapababa ang gastos ng bawat Pilipino sa pagpapa-ospital," he said.

(It would have been a great Christmas gift for our countrymen had the DOH followed the commitment that we fought for and confirmed, as signed by their leader himself, for the purpose of reducing hospital costs for every Filipino.)

Last Dec. 16, the PhilHealth Board of Directors approved a 50 percent increase in selected case rates, in addition to emergency care benefit, glasses and optometric services for children, open-heart surgery benefits and pediatric cataract extractions. 

Just days before this, the state health insurer grabbed headlines for its rather extravagant planned February 2025 anniversary celebration costing at least P138 million.

“Napakalaking insulto at kalokohan na gamitin ang pondong kailangang-kailangan para sa mga dagdag na serbisyong pangkulusugan sa mararangyang okasyon o ilipat ito sa mga proyekto na hindi naman ikamamatay ng mga Pilipino kung hindi maipagawa,” Lee reiterated.

(It's a huge insult and misdeed if the funds that are so badly needed for health care merely gets funneled to a posh occasion or to a project that isn't a matted of life and death for Filipinos.)

“The focus should remain on addressing the gaps in the country’s healthcare system. Napakalaking kasalanan na hindi ibigay ang pondo at suporta na kaya namang ibigay, at sa halip ay gamitin lang ito kung saan iilan lang ang makikibanang,” he added. 

(It's a huge sin to withhold the available funds and support so that it could only benefit a selected few.)