Hontiveros files bill authorizing DOH to set bed capacity in gov’t hospitals

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a legislative measure that would give the Department of Health (DOH) the authority to set the bed occupancy rates of public hospitals allowing their facilities to be better equipped to respond to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients.

The opposition senator filed Senate Bill No. 863 that seeks to grant DOH the authority “to set and approve the bed occupancy rates of its retained hospitals.”

Under the bill, the DOH will also be given the responsibility to formulate guidelines and rationalize the bed capacities of government hospitals in the country.

“Huwag na nating hintayin na ma-overwhelm ang mga hospital dito sa Metro Manila at sa ibang lugar na maraming kaso ng COVID-19,” (We shouldn’t allow our hospitals to be overwhelmed in Metro Manila and in other places where there are high number of COVID-19 cases.) said Hontiveros in a statement Wednesay.

The Department of Health (DOH) should be empowered to set the bed capacity of public hospitals, so they can easily upgrade their services during this crisis.”

Hontiveros filled the bill after several Metro Manila hospitals have reported that their intensive care units (ICUs) handling COVID-19 patients are fast approaching their limits again as COVID-19 cases spike in the region.

There are 47,873 cases in the Philippines as of July 7 with 20,100 of those getting recorded in the National Capital Region.

“It is much more prudent to delegate to DOH, which already has regulatory and administrative control over public hospitals, the function of setting and rationalizing the bed capacities of these hospitals,” said Hontiveros.

“Let’s not wait for things to turn for the worse before we act. Ayaw na natin maulit ang mga kwento ng mga kababayan natin na namatayan ng kamag-anak dahil wala nang pampublikong ospital na maaring tumanggap at gumamot sa kanila.”

(We don’t want to hear the stories that our countrymen saw their relatives die because there are no more public hospitals who are capable of taking care of them.)

/MUF