Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and vice chairperson of the Finance Committee, expressed his concerns about the proposed budget cut for the Department of Health in 2024, stressing the critical importance of healthcare, particularly as the country continues to recover from the pandemic.

According to the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP), reductions are proposed in various healthcare programs. For instance, the Health Facilities Enhancement Program is slated to be cut from P26.8 billion in 2023 to P22.9 billion in 2024. Similarly, the budget for the prevention and control of infectious diseases is proposed to be reduced from P5.8 billion to P4.8 billion.

"Ang estado ng kalusugan ng mga mamamayan sa isang bansa ay isang batayan din ng kalagayan ng kalidad ng buhay," Go said.

He stressed that the government should allocate sufficient funds for health programs led by DOH.

"Kailangang matiyak na maging ang pinakamahihirap nating kababayan, mga hopeless, helpless at walang malalapitan maliban sa pamahalaan ay may access sa de-kalidad na serbisyong pangkalusugan," he added.

The senator also highlighted the urgency of strengthening the healthcare system, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Nagulat tayo nang dumating ang COVID-19 sa ating buhay. Nakita natin ang kakulangan ng ating sistemang pangkalusugan," he said.

Despite the challenges, Go sees the pandemic as an opportunity to focus on areas that need improvement. "At dahil dito, sabi ko nga, 'the more we should invest sa ating healthcare system.'"

Go recounted his efforts to increase the DOH budget last year from P296B to P316B for 2023. He also mentioned his opposition to cutting the budget for the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in 2019.

"Hindi po tayo pumayag. In fact, dinagdagan pa natin sila noong budget deliberations," he said, adding that RITM has proven to be a crucial institution during the pandemic.

The senator also pushed for additional funding for the Cancer Assistance Fund, which was not initially part of the proposed 2023 budget.