A third of lawmakers oppose sale of gov’t hospitals

A third of the 289-member House of Representatives have signed a petition initiated by the Makabayan bloc opposing the “creeping privatization” of state-owned hospitals including the Philippine Orthopedic Center (left) and the Dr. Fabella Memorial Hospital. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines—A third of the 289-member House of Representatives have signed a petition initiated by the Makabayan bloc opposing the “creeping privatization” of state-owned hospitals.

“We are gravely concerned with the deterioration of the public healthcare system and express our serious objection to the privatization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) and Dr. Fabella Memorial Hospital. We call on the President to reconsider the policy of commercializing and privatizing government hospitals as this would make their services more costly and inaccessible to the poor comprising the majority of our people,” the signatories comprising district and party-list representatives said in a joint statement.

Party-list Rep. Emmi de Jesus (Gabriela) said she was “pleasantly surprised” about the positive response to the petition opposing the privatization of public hospitals, which went across party lines.

According to De Jesus, 97 signed the petition in just two weeks and she expects the number to increase to at least half of the House membership.

Aside from the Makabayan lawmakers, the signatories include Deputy Speakers Giorgidi Aggabao of Isabela, Carlos Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya and Sergio A. F. Apostol of Leyte; Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos; party-list Rep. Walden Bello (Akbayan); and Cebu Rep. Gwen Garcia.

Political will

“The Orthopedic and Fabella hospitals are the picture of the government’s surrender of its constitutional duty to provide health services to all. Let’s modernize and expand, but do not give these to businessmen,” De Jesus told a press conference.

Garcia, a former Cebu governor, said that the privatization of public hospitals should not be the only solution to the need to expand and modernize these health facilities.

“Based on my experience, our province has been able to increase our bed capacity and improve our facilities on our own. We just need the political will to do it,” she said.

Party-list Rep. Luz Ilagan (Gabriela) said the privatization of public hospitals under the Department of Health began in the previous Arroyo administration with 25 hospitals.

However, this has expanded to cover all 72 public hospitals under the Aquino administration, she said.

The Aquino administration has allotted P3 billion as its equity in the Public-Private Partnership Strategic Support Fund program for the DOH-run hospitals.

Hospitals covered

The hospitals covered and their allocations are the Vicente Sotto Medical Center with P100 million; Western Visayas Medical Center (P125 million); Cagayan Valley Medical Center (P150 million); Northern Mindanao Medical Center (P100 million); Quirino Memorial Medical Center (P100 million); Bicol Medical Center (P100 million); Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (P25 million); Eastern Visayas Medical Center (P80 million); Zamboanga City Medical Center (P80 million); Cotabato Regional Hospital (P300 million); Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (P80 million); Baguio General Hospital (P100 million); Batangas Regional Hospital (P360 million);

Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Hospital (P25 million); Veterans Regional Hospital (P50 million); Rizal Medical Center (P200 million); Southern Philippines Medical Center (P50 million); Amang Rodriguez Medical Center (P25 million); Samar Provincial Hospital (P50 million); JB Lingad Medical Center (P100 million); Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center (P50 million); Region I Medical Center (P50 million); Caraga Regional Hospital (P50 million); and San Lazaro-Jose Reyes Medical Center-Fabella Hospital (P260 milllion).