Castro slams epidemiology, health emergency program budget cuts

Opposition lawmaker France Castro on Tuesday decried cuts to the Department of Health's (DOH) Epidemiology and Surveillance Program, Health Regulatory Program, Public Health Program, and Health Emergency Management Program, as provided under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) in its proposed 2023 budget.

Specifically, the ACT Teachers party-list Representative said the budget for the Epidemiology and Surveillance Program was slashed by P115 million, with the budget allocated to regions slashed by as much as 98.73%, particularly in Central Visayas.

"Without funding for the Epidemiology and Surveillance Program for the regions, how can we ensure the health and safety of our people? These [budget cuts] are alarming," Castro said in a statement.

Funding was reduced for key items addressing the pandemic in the DOH's Public Health Program, including the COVID-19 Laboratory Network Commodities (down by P7.92 billion), the COVID-19 Human Resources for Health Emergency Hiring (down by P4.33 billion) and the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases (down by P4.17 billion.)

The P2.72-billion budget for the procurement of Omicron vaccine booster shots is also unfunded so far.

Further, Castro said, there was a P4.17-billion cut in the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases budget, a P13.25% cut in the Health Emergency Management Program budget, and a 13.22% decrease in the budget for the Health Regulatory Program, which includes sub-programs for the Health Facilities and Services Regulation, Consumer Health and Welfare, and Routine Quarantine Services.

"These are for hospitals, health centers that would have provided huge help to communities. These programs of the Department of Health should be strengthened and should be readily accessible to the public, especially the poor. Slashing the budget for these programs would only further weaken the health system in the country," Castro said.

"Such cuts will deprive the people of access to quality  health care and this is a big sin on the part of the government amid the COVID-19 pandemic," she added.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), in response, maintained that the health sector, overall, still received a 10.4% budget increase in the proposed 2023 budget.

"The increase to P296.3 billion in 2023 is inclusive of the budgets of the Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. This is to ramp up vaccination efforts and the uptake of boosters for our vulnerable population while strengthening our health system through improvement of health facilities and services," DBM chief Amenah Pangandaman said.

“Around P29 billion has been allocated to purchase drugs, medicine and vaccines while more than P19 billion has been allocated for the salary and benefits of healthcare workers,” she added.

In addition, Pangandaman said, another P23 billion has been earmarked for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program which will fund the purchase of medical equipment as well as the construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of barangay health stations, rural health units, polyclinics, LGU hospitals, DOH hospital, and other various health facilities nationwide. — BM, GMA News