CAPITOL HEALTH BUDGET DROPS

From P16M this year, Province pegs P2M for medicines in 2019; but official says they also increased hospitals’ budget

The yearly budget of the Cebu Provincial Health Office (PHO) to acquire drugs and medicines has decreased to P2 million next year from P16 million this year, an official said.

Speaking before members of the Provincial Board (PB) Committee on Budget and Appropriation Thursday, Nov. 15, PHO Head Dr. Rene Catan said

that while the yearly appropriation for medicine and drugs has significantly lessened, it does not mean that they are not prioritizing their acquisition.

Catan said they also included appropriation for the acquisition of medicines and drugs to the yearly budgets of the Province’s hospitals.

Next year, the PHO is deploying P674 million out of its P1.4 billion budget for next year to its provincial and district hospitals.

Catan said that despite the increasing cost of commodities in the market, this has no effect on their proposed appropriation for medicines and drugs.

While each of the provincial and district hospitals now have its own appropriation to acquire medicines and drugs, the P2-million medicine allocation for PHO will be used for the Province’s continuing health programs such as providing free medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases to their constituents.

But while the allocation for medicines for next year decreased, PHO’s appropriation for personal services increased by 11 percent.

From P85.2 million this year, PHO’s allocation for personal services for next year is P94.5 million or a P9.2 million increase, Catan said.

He said the increase in budget for personal services is attributed to the fourth tranche of salary increases for regular employees which will take effect next year.

The increase in budget for personal services is also due to the PHO’s plan to hire more doctors and nurses that they will assign in the provincial and district hospitals.

Catan said the Province is hiring 169 nurses and 74 doctors, particularly those with specializations./