Vergeire says 2023 budget for health workers ‘insufficient,’ seeks increase

Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire on Wednesday appealed to the House of Representatives for additional funding for the healthcare workers’ benefits which suffered the biggest cut in the proposed 2023 budget.

During a hearing of the House committee on health, Vergeire was asked which specific programs of the DOH were affected by budget reductions, based on the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for the next fiscal year.

“Primarily Mr. Chair, what we are really appealing to our Committee on Health and the members of the House of Representatives would be our insufficient budget that was provided for the healthcare workers’ benefits to sustain the provisions of [their] benefits…until the end of 2023,” she said.

“Ito po ‘yung pinakamalaki na hindi po naibigay sa atin,” she added.

(This was the biggest budget that was not given to us.)

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Wednesday said that more than P19 billion has been allocated for the salary and benefits of healthcare workers in the 2023 budget.

Vergeire had said they were negotiating with the DBM for additional funds for healthcare workers' One COVID Allowance (OCA) so that they can pay those who have not yet received theirs.

The official said the DOH needs a P64 billion budget for the health workers’ benefits.

“We have arrears of a total of P64 billion and this is the money that we need so we can fulfill our commitment to our healthcare workers,” she said.

Earlier, a number of healthcare workers reported that they have yet to receive allowances for the services rendered amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Private Health Workers Alliance of the Philippines spokesperson Jao Clumia on Tuesday said that about 50% of them still have not yet received their COVID-19 response benefits and allowances.

Other programs

Further, Vergeire asked the House to restore DOH’s budget for its cancer assistance program, saying the DBM removed the provision for such in 2023.

“Previously, we had a line item for the cancer assistance fund at P500 million. We are just set to implement this and now, it was removed from the line item,” she said.

“We, therefore, appeal to our House of Representative members, the Committee on Health, if this can be returned because this is part of the law,” she continued.

She also said that the DOH was given insufficient funds to sustain the operations of its Epidemiology and Surveillance Program.

ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro on Tuesday decried the cuts to some of DOH’s programs including the P115 million slashed from the budget of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Program.

In response, the DBM explained that the NEP budget level for the Epidemiology and Surveillance Program for 2023 pertains to budget proposals which were substantiated with details by the DOH.

“Other items proposed for these programs were not supported with details and hence, had been considered as not yet ready for implementation,” it said.

Nonetheless, the DBM said it “yields to the collective wisdom of the honorable members of Congress if they find it meritorious to increase further the budget of the DOH as budget deliberations, hearings, and debates are being held this season.”—LDF, GMA News