SENATOR JV Ejercito on Thursday, October 4, visited the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) to see the project status of the government hospital that might be affected of the planned budget cuts of the Department of Health (DOH).
Ejercito said these ongoing projects are under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) which will be cut in the 2019 DOH budget.
The department's proposed 2019 budget was reduced to P74 billion after the executive branch decided to slow down the agency's Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) that seeks to build more hospitals and clinics across the country.
The HFEP's budget was reduced to P100 million next year, from its current P30.3 billion budget.
But Ejercito, chairman of the Senate committee on health said he won't allow this to happen and will work to restore the health department's budget.
"That's why I'm here para makita ng ating mga kababayan kung bakit kailangan ipagpatuloy ang HFEP. Kasi in 2019, zero talaga yung budget, alangan pabayaan natin na hindi matuloy ang proyekto, that is more of a disservice. Kailangan ipaglaban ang budget ng DOH, ang HFEP kasi di pwede pabayaan dahil these are improvements and enhancing our health facilities," he said.
NMMC chief Dr. Jose Chan said all of the projects in NMMC are still ongoing and the budget slash might delay their completion.
But Ejercito said he will not give up in advocating that there should be no more patients in the corridors and aisles of the hospital.
"I will have to fight for the restoration, we can make all sacrifices in all other agencies pero wag naman sa public health," he said.
"HFEP has been a very helpful para ma-address ang facilities. I know they are trying to discipline how we spend, I understand that kaya lang pwede yun sa iba wag sa public health," he added.
"Malaki ang epekto kung mawawala ang HFEP," Ejercito said.
