Press Statement
July 25, 2012
References:
Mr. Jossel I. Ebesate, AHW National
President, Mobile no. 09189276381
Bonifacio
S. Carmona, Jr.,PHCEA, Mobile no. 09088960094
Public health workers under the Alliance of Health Workers
lambast PNOY’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) as a litany of half-truths
and outright lies. They called the President a sociopath – a pathological liar
without regard for the welfare of the Filipino people. He has to flaunt his
“accomplishments” to justify his inefficiencies and abdication of his
responsibility to the Filipinos.
President Aquino’s report on health is nothing but a futile attempt to justify the effects of his health policies that wrought havoc both on people’s health and the health workers’ welfare. Data show a big increase in maternal mortality rate reaching as much as 36% in 2011. Since January of this year 2012, benefits under RA 7305 (Magna Carta of Public Health Workers) such as Hazard Pay, Subsistence and Laundry Allowances were either totally not given or cut back for more than 33,000 public health workers under the national government.
Inadequate funds in public hospitals have forced hospital management to impose charges even to patients identified as “indigent” which is the practice now at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Majority of PGH charity patients claim they are not members or dependents of PhilHealth members contrary to the trumpeted increase in PhilHealth membership covering as much as 85% of our population.
In spite of the “no balance billing policy” for PhilHealth members, it is limited only to 23 common cases and 3 catastrophic illnesses and only for sponsored members. What is more palpable is the continued cutback of public funds for government-run health institutions and facilities resulting to more and more out-of-pocket spending by our people for their health care needs. The data therefore that 6 out of 10 Filipinos that died without being attended to by a physician will only get worse with the self-reported hunger increasing with first quarter 2012 Social Weather survey at record-high 28.8 of families or an estimated 4.8 million families.
In spite of the chronic shortage of health care personnel in our public health care delivery, the government adopts “band-aid” solution such as the RN HEALS Program. This program is just a training program with just P8,000 to P10,000 monthly allowance. This is way below the Php 18,600 for a regular Staff Nurse (Nurse 1) and Php 24,200 for a Public Health Nurse (Nurse II). Their one-year deployment further exploits these nurses.
The deterioration of our in public health care institutions due to budget cuts is the fruit of Aquino’s privatization of health services. This is part of the neo-liberal policies intertwined with liberalization, deregulation and flexibilization of labor. The Aquino government cannot but follow the imposition of the International Financial Institutions namely – the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. These are his real bosses. #
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| Alliance of Health Workers members called their president a 'pathological liar' without regard for the welfare of his people following a 36% increase in maternal mortality, and 33,000 public health workers not receiving their benefits. - photo and caption by Sherbien Dacalanio |
President Aquino’s report on health is nothing but a futile attempt to justify the effects of his health policies that wrought havoc both on people’s health and the health workers’ welfare. Data show a big increase in maternal mortality rate reaching as much as 36% in 2011. Since January of this year 2012, benefits under RA 7305 (Magna Carta of Public Health Workers) such as Hazard Pay, Subsistence and Laundry Allowances were either totally not given or cut back for more than 33,000 public health workers under the national government.
Inadequate funds in public hospitals have forced hospital management to impose charges even to patients identified as “indigent” which is the practice now at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Majority of PGH charity patients claim they are not members or dependents of PhilHealth members contrary to the trumpeted increase in PhilHealth membership covering as much as 85% of our population.
In spite of the “no balance billing policy” for PhilHealth members, it is limited only to 23 common cases and 3 catastrophic illnesses and only for sponsored members. What is more palpable is the continued cutback of public funds for government-run health institutions and facilities resulting to more and more out-of-pocket spending by our people for their health care needs. The data therefore that 6 out of 10 Filipinos that died without being attended to by a physician will only get worse with the self-reported hunger increasing with first quarter 2012 Social Weather survey at record-high 28.8 of families or an estimated 4.8 million families.
In spite of the chronic shortage of health care personnel in our public health care delivery, the government adopts “band-aid” solution such as the RN HEALS Program. This program is just a training program with just P8,000 to P10,000 monthly allowance. This is way below the Php 18,600 for a regular Staff Nurse (Nurse 1) and Php 24,200 for a Public Health Nurse (Nurse II). Their one-year deployment further exploits these nurses.
The deterioration of our in public health care institutions due to budget cuts is the fruit of Aquino’s privatization of health services. This is part of the neo-liberal policies intertwined with liberalization, deregulation and flexibilization of labor. The Aquino government cannot but follow the imposition of the International Financial Institutions namely – the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. These are his real bosses. #
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