OP commended for contributions to hospital facilities, equipment upgrades

The Office of the President (OP) received a commendation from the Commission on Audit (CoA) for its P4.22 billion in transfers for the upgrade of government health care facilities and hospitals from 2024 to 2025.

The fund was reportedly taken from the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF) of the OP, in accordance with the President’s previous mandate for all national government agencies and instrumentalities to support the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan (PHFDP).

State auditors likewise mentioned that the amount was distributed to several implementing agencies from different regions around the country.

Of the P4.22 billion, P520 million was used for local government unit-operated hospitals, another P2.60 billion was used for Department of Health-retained hospitals while National Centers for Specialized Health Care received P469.5 million.

Funds amounting to P387.5 million were also distributed to a tertiary-state owned hospital by the University of the Philippines. Another P230.90 million was contributed to a government health care facility intended for military personnel.

CoA said that the fund transfers were primarily concerned with procuring various medical equipment such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, Surgical Operating Microscopes, and Positron Emission Tomography–Computed Tomography (PET-CT) scanners.

State auditors noted that the contributions of the OP were important as it deemed the long-term focus of the PHFDP to expand the access of health care facilities and advance medical technology across different health units.

“OP’S SCPF provides key financial support in accelerating the PHFDP’s implementation. With the above fund transfers sourced from SCPF, OP has shown commitment towards public health by providing targeted support aligned with the PHFDP,” the report read.