MANILA, Philippines - Various health groups today called on President Benigno Aquino III to make good on his promise to prioritize the health care service for the people.
Jossel Ebesate, national president of the Alliance of Health Workers, said health groups also demanded that the government allocate P90 billion for health care.
"As President Simeon Aquino prepares for his State of the Nation Address, he should remember and fulfill the promises he made as he assumed office a year ago. Foremost amongst these is to give utmost priority to the health of the people," Ebesate said.
He cited that health care service in the country has become worse with several state-run hospitals burdening their patients with various additional fees.
At the Philippine General Hospital, even Class D patients who used to receive full support are now being charged various rates ranging from P20 to P340 for diagnostic and laboratory examinations, all of which were previously free.
Similarly, at the Philippine Orthopedic Center, the new rates are more than double the previous rates, Ebesate added.
"The promise of universal health care has been reduced to expanded coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), which remains a stop-gap measure. Doctors and nurses, still badly needed in the country, are not being employed properly with adequate remuneration. The RN HEALS program for nurses does not even provide nurses with the salary mandated by law and offers no real job security," he said.
For her part, Dr. Geneve Rivera, Health Alliance for Democracy secretary general, said the promotion of public-private partnerships by the Aquino administration has left public hospitals in a state of disrepair and neglect to justify the entry of private investments.
"Rather than promote the commercialization and sale of public hospitals, Aquino should stop the privatization of healthcare and provide a meaningful budget that allows public hospitals to fulfill their mandate of serving the underserved," Rivera said.
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