THE Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) has urged Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez to restore the P1.5 billion that the government slashed from the appropriations of hospitals retained by the Department of Health (DOH).
In a letter to Alvarez, AHW President Robert T. Mendoza said the deep budget cut in the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of public hospitals has sent shivers down the spines of health workers and marginalized sectors dependent on public hospitals for medical treatment.
“The Alliance of Health Workers is an organization aimed at serving the Filipino people by empowering health workers and strengthening our commitment to protect and promote the people’s right to quality health care. We are greatly alarmed with the proposed budget cut in the maintenance and other operating expenses of public hospitals for 2017,” Mendoza told Alvarez.
He noted that for next year the budget of the DOH has been pegged at P92.5 billion, or 2.8 percent of the P3.35 trillion proposed national budget.
“The present year MOOE of public hospitals of P5.2 billion will be reduced to only P3.7 billion. Among the 72 hospitals under the DOH, 66 will have a lower budget next year. Hospitals, like Philippine Orthopedic Center and Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, will suffer one of the biggest slash with 44 percent and 43 percent cuts, respectively,” Mendoza added.
“MOOE is the lifeblood of every hospital. With this kind of budget, hospitals will be forced to generate more income by charging for services or increasing the cost of health services. Patients will no longer afford hospital expenses and out of the pocket will greatly increase. Free services given by public hospitals, such as medicines, will be limited due to the reduced budget,” the AHW president warned.
“With this, we are requesting that Congress heed the call of the health workers and patients to reinstate the P1.5-billion cutback in the hospital’s MOOE. Moreover, we would like to make sure that this will be directly included in the hospitals’ budget to ensure that services will be delivered efficiently to patients, especially the poor and underprivileged,” Mendoza explained.
Eleanor Jara, who heads the Council on Health and Development (CHD) that supervises 50 community-based health programs (CBHP) nationwide, also backed the AHW move, saying the public medical-care system would suffer due to the deep budget cuts.
She and Mendoza spearheaded the signing of a petition by 10,000 health workers, patients and community residents to urge Alvarez and other lawmakers to restore the P1.5-billion MOOE budget slashed by the Department of Budget and Management.
The petitioners belong to the Coalition for People’s Right to Health, of which AHW is a convener.