House to restore funding for rural doctors, nurses

The House of Representatives intends to restore funding next year for rural doctors, nurses, dentists and midwives, which the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has cut from the Department of Health (DOH) budget.

Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., who was budget secretary when Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was president, said yesterday the DBM slashed P8.4 billion from the P9.6-billion allocation for health professionals the DOH has deployed to rural areas.

“This is one budget cut that we could restore. This is one area up for discussion because of its impact on the delivery of health services to the people who need them most,” he said.

The rural deployment of health workers is one of several DOH programs affected by drastic reductions.

Andaya noted that the DOH 2019 budget, if DBM would have its way, would be cut by nearly P36 billion from this year’s P109.8 billion.

He pointed out that 6,755 health professionals – or two in five of the 15,893 deployed in the provinces – would lose their jobs if the funding reductions were not restored.

“The number of doctors deployed will be reduced from 293 to 243, dentists from 324 to 241 and midwives from 4,000 to 3,650. Let us find ways to save their jobs and continue providing health services in areas where they are assigned,” he said.

The deployment program was first launched by then president Arroyo and continued by the Aquino administration.

According to Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, who is appropriations committee chairman, the DBM also reduced funding for the DOH health facilities program to zero.

“There is no allocation at all. This is contrary to law, which provides that at least 20 percent of incremental collections from tobacco taxes should be allotted to the construction of new or improvement of existing health facilities like barangay health centers,” he said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Education likewise suffered major cuts, he said.

“If funding were not returned, we will have fewer roads, classrooms, and health centers at a time when people are paying more fuel taxes under the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) law,” Nograles said.