​A House lawmaker says the Department of Health (DOH) should have the authority to set and approve the bed capacity increases of all its supervised hospitals across the country in a bid to deliver better quality healthcare to Filipinos.

Currently, it is Congress that has the authority to decide on the increase of bed capacity of public hospitals.

But BICOL SARO Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan says the current practice is a tedious, drawn-out process that could take years.

It further contributes to the delay in addressing the problem of the worsening hospital bed shortage in public health facilities, he added.

“Allowing the DOH to adjust and approve the bed capacities and service capabilities of its retained hospitals is more efficient, as it already has the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan (PHFDP) for 2020 to 2040 in place," he said.

"This 20-year blueprint aims to guide the government in effectively investing in health infrastructure, which includes filling the shortage of hospital beds in public hospitals," he added.

Yamsuan said that while lawmakers were trying their best to pass laws as fast as possible, "We cannot discount the fact that the legislative process takes a lot of  time."

So, instead of going through the process of passing a law, the DOH should be given this authority and include this in its funding requirements under the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA), he said.

The DOH would then submit an annual report to the Congress, through the Committee on Health of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Health and Demography of the Senate, detailing the approved bed capacities of its retained hospitals, along with the necessary funding requirements.

“Since it is the DOH which has the expertise to determine the urgent needs of our healthcare system, it should have the power to evaluate the status of hospitals under its control,  and approve the changes and improvements that need to be done,” Yamsuan said.

With the Philippines’ population of approximately 110 million, the ratio of one hospital bed for every 1,000 people is way below the ideal ratio set by the World Health Organization (WHO) of three beds for every 1,000.