House special panel boosts DOH assistance program, infra projects

MANILA, Philippines — A special panel of select House lawmakers boosted the Department of Health’s (DOH) assistance program and healthcare infrastructure projects, as legislators aim to lower hospitalization costs and fortify government hospitals across the country.

The Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc) hiked the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients’ (MAIFIP) funding by P24.96 billion, increasing it to P49.19 billion from the P24.23 billion lodged under the executive’s spending proposal.

“As we all know, this is what we use to help, especially to those patients who lack the capacity to pay hospital bills and professional fees,” Bataan Rep. Albert “Abet” Garcia, the House Appropriations Committee’s senior vice chairman, said in mixed English and Filipino.

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“And this also helps government hospitals to make zero-balance billing sustainable,” he added.

The BARSc also lodged an extra P1.54 billion under the DOH’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).

The budget realignments approved by the sub-committee must still be endorsed by the full House Appropriations Committee before advancing to the floor for second reading, where lawmakers are expected to debate how the panel prioritized funding increases amid tight fiscal limits.

The House aims to pass the proposed P7.2-trillion budget bill on final reading by Oct. 9. /cb