Amid intense discussions and protests from former health secretaries and medical groups, Akbayan Party called on the government to use the untapped P 89.9 billion to strengthen the services and programs of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) rather than realign the unspent funds.
The proposal to realign comes from Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto, who said that the sum would be used for social development, agriculture, nutrition, education, and infrastructure projects. Akbayan said that while these goals are appreciated, they should not come at the cost of potentially weakening PhilHealth’s ability to serve its contributors.
“Kung may pondong hindi pa nagagamit, eh di gamitin pero dapat para sa kalusugan pa rin. While we can appreciate Finance Secretary Recto’s intentions, we believe that the best way to use PhilHealth’s untapped money is to reform its existing services and strengthen its coverage for contributors, particularly for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and indigent patients,” said Akbayan Health Policy Analyst Dr. Kat Gomez-Chua.
Gomez-Chua explained that a large portion of expenses for medicine, hospital, and doctor’s fees are still paid out of pocket by patients.
“A single health emergency can financially cripple a working-class family and drive them instantly into debt. The situation for the poor is even worse. So realigning funds that are meant to give better access to public health for those who need it the most may not be the best use of unspent money,” Gomez-Chua said.
Opposition from the health sector
Recto’s proposal was met with stiff opposition from six former Department of Health (DOH) secretaries and various health groups. In a letter addressed to Recto, former health secretaries Jaime Galvez Tan, Manuel Dayritt, Francisco Duque III, Esperansa Cabral, Enrique Ona Jr., and Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial urged Recto to “exercise prudence and caution by not transferring the next tranche of funds and succeeding transfers. Groups such as the Philippine Medical Association, the Philippine College of Physicians, the Philippine Nurses Association, and the Philippine Pharmacists Association called on the government to stop further transfers of PhilHealth funds.
Section 11.6 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Universal Healthcare Act states that, “no portion of the reserve fund or income thereof shall accrue to the general fund of the national government, or to any of its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-owned or-controlled corporations.” Gomez-Chua says that this should provide a clear policy direction when it comes to any unused PhilHealth funds.
“The fiscal policies which govern health spending should only be spent for creating better health outcomes and strengthening public health as a whole. And the proposal to realign funds is opposed by many in the health sector. We stand with PhilHealth’s mandate to make healthcare accessible to all. And this is best accomplished by keeping PhilHealth funds for their original purpose,” Gomez-Chua said.
