Senate approves more than P320-billion DOH budget for 2023

The Senate of the Philippines on Thursday approved the proposed  2023 budget for the Department of Health (DOH), its attached agencies, and specialty hospitals submitted.

Senator Pia Cayetano sponsored the Department of Health's budget as several senators participated in discussions on the proposed budget during the plenary debate.

The approved funding includes:

• Office of the Secretary with total new appropriations (P214,851,268,000)
• National Nutrition Council with total new appropriations (P439,167,000)
• Philippine National AIDS Council, with total new appropriations (P43,053,000)
• Lung Center of the Philippines with total new appropriations (P1,130,211,000)
• National Kidney and Transplant Institute with total new appropriations (P1,771,442,000)
• Philippine Children's Medical Center with total new appropriations (P2,331,078,000)
• Philippine Heart Center with total new appropriations (P2,266,827,000)
• Philippine Health Insurance with total new appropriations (P100,233,414,000)

"Just for the record, but this budget has already been submitted - PH Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care, with total new appropriations of P156,205,000," Cayetano said.

"DOH has the third highest budget. Under the leadership of our Chairman, Sen. Sonny Angara, this Senate, your Senate, has envisioned, aspired to, and effectively found fiscal space for many of the budgetary needs of DOH, although of course we continue to support them. As there continue to be more needs, we want to assure DOH and the Filipino people that the Department of Health has the support of the PH Senate," she added.

Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Fernandez Zubiri then approved the budget saying that he was happy to end their week-and-a-half-long deliberations.

"I'm happy to make this announcement that there will be no other member which is to intervene. Therefore, without any objection, this approve the budget of the department of health is being submitted together with all its attached agencies," he said.

The DOH thanked Senator Pia Cayetano, health advocates, and all partners in Congress for "working tirelessly to provide every Juan and Juana with the healthcare services they deserve, all in the name of Universal Health Care." -- BAP, GMA Integrated News