Continuing our fight for better health funding

Continuing our fight for better health funding | Daily Tribune

As the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, we stressed that Super Health Centers must be operational to address the concerns of our fellow Filipinos and should not be left as “white elephant” projects. We have more than 7,000 islands, and many Filipinos still travel for hours by boat or through mountainous roads just to reach a hospital. The DoH and local government units must complement each other to ensure that these facilities are completed and operational.

The same applies to our Regional Specialty Centers. We are one of the authors and the principal sponsor of Republic Act 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which mandates the establishment of specialty centers in qualified DoH regional hospitals to bring services such as cardiovascular, cancer, renal and other specialized care closer to Filipinos in the provinces. Not everyone can afford to travel to Manila for treatment. Healthcare should not depend on where a person happens to live.

We must also continue improving the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Through 14 Senate Committee on Health hearings we conducted in the previous Congress, we worked to hold PhilHealth accountable, leading to reforms, such as the repeal of the Single Period Confinement Policy and other anti-poor policies, and the expansion of coverage for emergency outpatient services.

Consequently, the agency also lifted the 45-day annual limit on hospitalizations for members and their dependents, which allows continued coverage for illnesses. We were also able to push for increased case rates across the board to significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients.

However, higher case rates and new benefit packages are welcome reforms, but the real measure is whether patients actually feel the difference when they receive their hospital bills. We must continue increasing coverage so Filipinos no longer have to fear hospitalization or beg for assistance just to receive treatment.

This is where programs like the Malasakit Centers become more important. We are the principal author and sponsor of RA 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which consolidates access to medical and financial assistance from concerned government agencies in one location. We commend the DOH for assuring the continued operations of important facilities like Malasakit Centers.

During the same hearing, we said that more than 9,000 positions remain unfilled in the DoH. I urge the national government to give this priority, especially for our healthcare workers, so that they no longer have to go abroad to seek employment. We also called on the Department of Budget and Management to address the remaining Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) claims. Until now, years after the COVID pandemic, we still hear calls from health workers for HEA to be released. These allowances are long overdue.

We also raised the importance of halfway houses for relatives and watchers of patients. These provide temporary shelter for patient companions who would otherwise face sleepless nights in waiting areas or costly stays elsewhere.

The facilities, whether already constructed or in various stages of development, are located at Quirino Memorial Medical Center, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Southern Philippine Medical Center.

As your senator, I will continue to fight for better funding for the health sector. Ang pondo sa health ay dapat gamitin sa health ng Pilipino!

Meanwhile, on 31 August, we personally went to Quezon City to aid the 520 typhoon victims in need. After that, we proceeded to Calumpit, Bulacan, where we waded through floodwaters to provide assistance to around 400 residents of Barangay Sapang Bayan. Our team went back the following day to provide assistance to our kababayans in Brgy. Pio Cruzcosa from the same town.

Meanwhile, our Malasakit Team continues to extend assistance to our fellow kababayans in need as they assisted habagat-affected families in Hagonoy, Bulacan; La Trinidad, Atok, Tublay, Bugias in Benguet; Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija; and Pasig City.

Indigent residents in Batuan, Masbate also received assistance from our Malasakit Team in coordination with its local government unit.

As Mr. Malasakit, I will push for more projects and legislation that would help improve the lives of our fellow Filipinos, especially when it comes to health. My office will remain open for everyone and I will continue to extend help sa abot ng aking makakaya dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at naniniwala ako na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo sa Diyos.

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