Hontiveros promises to restore cuts in DOH’s 2020 budget

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros vowed Thursday to restore funds slashed from the 2020 budget of the Department of Health (DOH).

This, she said, is to ensure the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Law would be fully implemented and that government programs to combat the measles and dengue epidemic would be intensified.

“Sa isang panahon na ang daming nagkakasakit at namamatay dahil sa iba’t ibang epidemiya, hindi makatao at makatarungan na bawasan ang budget para sa kalusugan,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

Hontiveros asked DOH and the Department of Budget and Management to explain the decrease in the proposed 2020 budget of the health agency from P169.25 billion to P160.15 billion.

Hontiveros also noted the significantly reduced fund allocation for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth), from P152 billion to P67 billion.

“How can the government deliver on its promise of universal healthcare if the health sector is not provided with the appropriate funding?” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros likewise said she wants to increase the budget for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) to fund the much-needed health station per barangay under the UHC Law.

The senator said she finds HFEP funding “woefully lacking” with only P5.9 billion from the proposed P23.5 billion. /kga