House to restore specialty hospital fund

FILE PHOTO: Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto. File photo from Senate PRIB

Congress should restore the P3.82 billion that was slashed from the Department of Health (DOH) so that the DOH can implement a law mandating the creation of specialty centers in its hospitals all over the country.

House Deputy Speaker Rep. Ralph Recto made the call following President Marcos’ signing of Republic Act No. 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers Act.

The law mandates the DOH to create specialty centers in hospitals across the country to bring medical services closer to the poor.

Recto pointed out that the DOH has a Health Facility Enhancement Fund, which has an allocation of P26.81 billion for this year and a proposed P22.98 billion funding for 2024.

For his part, Speaker Martin Romualdez said he tasked the appropriations panel to “see to it that such funds are incorporated in the proposed 2024 national budget” amounting to P5.768 trillion.

The House panel is conducting deliberations on the proposed national budget for next year. The DOH will present its budget proposal of P204.598 billion on Sept. 6. —JULIE M. AURELIO

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