Health services get 30% of Capitol’s 2019 budget
Over 30 percent of the proposed P4.5 billion budget of the Cebu Provincial Government is allocated for the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
This amounts to P1.34 billion which is divided into three major divisions - 47% is allocated for province-owned hospitals, 44% is for the PHO and 9% for the annual investments.
The biggest of the three chunks is worth P674,226,376.
Of this amount, P353 million is for the four provincial hospitals in the cities of Bogo, Carcar, Danao and in Balamban town. The remaining P321 million is for the twelve hospitals.
The management defended that the four provincial hospitals will continue to be saturated with improvements in order to decongest the hospital traffic in Cebu. Instead of heading directly to Metro Cebu, patients in the towns may head to the nearest provincial hospital.
The increase in funds is done to upgrade the hospitals to Level II health care institutions.
Of the hospital budget, 56% is for personnel services while 44% is for maintenance and other operating expenses. Compared to this year, there is a 13% increase for the hospital budget.
The second biggest chunk is worth P633,872,127 which is allocated for the PHO. Broken down by objectives, 60% is for hospital support services, 15% is for personnel services, 14% is for health programs, 7.5% is for the Gender and Development, 1.8% for the public health, and 1.7% for the general administration.
Compared to the 2018 budget, this portion is 18% or P140 million higher.
PHO Head Dr. Rene Catan said that the increase is primarily due to the expected raise of personal services charges by the time the government implements the fourth tranche of the salary standardization.
The last piece of the pie is the P131.6 million for the annual investment plan. Using this fund, PHO can procure medical equipment and facilities which can be used to improve and expand the array of services offered at the hospitals.
The budget breakdown was presented by PHO Head Dr. Rene Catan in the Committee on Budget and Appropriations of the Cebu Provincial Board(PB). Committee chairman Celestino Martinez III was with PB Members Christopher Baricuatro and Miguel Magpale to scrutinize the proposal.
PHO is the first department of the provincial government which presented their proposed 2019 budget to the committee.
After all departments have presented, the PB with the Budget Officer will decide whether there is still a need to slash or add more funds to the proposal. —