Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD)

2/F Doña Anita Bldg, 284 E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City Telefax: (02) 725 4760        Email: [email protected]

 

Media Release

17 September 2009

 

The 2010 National Health Budget: Bigger Numbers, Smaller Value!

Once again, the Arroyo government is shortchanging the Filipino people by allocating a paltry budget that is grossly inadequate.

Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) today joined health professionals and hospital workers in a brief rally at the Philippine General Hospital to highlight the inequities of the 2010 national budget and denounce the continuing failure of the Arroyo administration to address the needs of patients and healthcare providers.

“The 2010 health reflects the total abandonment by the Arroyo government of its obligation to uphold the health of the people.” According to Dr. Geneve Rivera, HEAD secretary-general.

The proposed national budget for 2010 is a whopping P1.541 trillion, which is P115 billion higher than the P1.426 trillion 2009 national budget. While debt servicing again gets the biggest allocation, amounting to some P340.8 billion, the amount allocated for health is only P33.678 billion or 2.2% of the national budget.

Worse, according to HEAD, the numbers are misleading.

“The actual budget of the DOH is only P23.737 billion, almost the same as its budget last year. After considering inflation and peso depreciation, the actual value of this budget is much lower.” added Dr. Rivera. “This translates to 252.49 pesos per Filipino per year, which is not even enough for one month’s supply of an anti-hypertensive or anti-ulcer drug!”

HEAD also noted that the substantial increase in the DOH budget is in the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (P3.2 billion). This, together with another P6.156 billion (25.9%) for capital outlay, is directly associated to the department’s preparation for medical tourism, which it continues to promote abroad.

In contrast, only P16M is allocated for indigent patients in all DOH hospitals. If P2000 is spent on each patient, only around 8000 patients will benefit from this, or less than 0.01% of the population!

Scrutiny also shows that there is still nothing in the budget to keep nurses and health workers from leaving the country in droves.

“Notably absent from the budget is the allocation for the implementation of the Nursing Act of 2002 and the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers. Both laws provide for additional income and benefits for nurses and health workers, measures that would help convince them to stay and serve the patients here.”

Both laws, which may stem the exodus of health personnel, have yet to be fully implemented by the national government.

“The health budget measures how little the Arroyo administration cares for the Filipino people. The poor and the sick have no place in a country under the rule of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This must change.” ###

 

References:

Dr. Geneve E. Rivera

Secretary-General, 0920 460 3712

Dr. Gene Alzona Nisperos

Vice-Chair, 0916 214 5724

DOH Hospitals