The health sector shared top billing with education among the social services which received highly significant budgetary increases from the House of Representatives in the 2008 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, said that the amount of P6.812 billion was added to the outlays for free medical assistance to indigent patients, reproductive health and family planning, LGU contributions for PhilHealth coverage of poor families, anti-tuberculosis campaign, subsidy to specialty hospitals and financial assistance to local hospitals, procurement of medical equipment and construction and repair of hospital units, among others.

Speaker Jose C. de Venecia, Jr., in commending the efforts of the House, disclosed that the P4.722 billion increase in the budget of the Department of Health proper, net of the additional allocations to specialty hospitals for subsidy and treatment of indigent patients of P1.090 billion and the P1.0 billion for LGU contribution for PhilHealth coverage, has raised the appropriation of DOH for 2008 to P20.981 billion or an increase of 74% over this year’s outlay of P12.058 billion.

On the other hand, the Department of Education and the State Universities and Colleges got increases of P5.273 billion and P1.162 billion, respectively, or a combined increase of P6.435 billion. DepEd remains as the highest recipient of budgetary support with an increased appropriation of P151.248 billion.

Topping the list of program beneficiaries is reproductive health and family planning whose original appropriation of only P180 million has been increased to P2.0 billion or an additional appropriation of P1.820 billion.

According to Lagman, the augmentation for reproductive health and family planning “will help contain the inordinately high annual population growth rate of 2.36%, as reported by the National Statistics Office, which impacts adversely on the principal indicators of human development like health care, quality education, food security, employment, mass housing and the environment.”

Lagman clarified that “both the traditional and non-traditional as well as the modern natural and artificial family planning methods which are medically and legally permissible will be promoted without any bias for any mode.”

Lagman added that the amount allocated for reproductive health and family planning will be used for “the conduct of nationwide educational campaign and seminars as well as the procurement of modern natural and artificial reproductive health products in order for the government to create an enabling environment for couples and women to make an informed choice regarding the family planning method that is best suited to their individual needs, personal convictions and religious beliefs.”

The other health sector expenditures which received additional allocations are the following:

• P1.110 billion for health facilities enhancement program;
• P1.000 billion as LGU counterpart contributions for PhilHealth coverage of indigent families;
• P800 million for free treatment of indigent patients;
• P720 million for anti-TB campaign which includes the necessary amount for the treatment of public school teachers and non-teaching personnel afflicted with tuberculosis;
• P500 million for Botika ng Barangay;
• P390 million for subsidy to specialty hospitals: National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines and Philippine Children’s Medical Center;
• P122.4 million assistance to national hospitals;
• P120 million for anti-rabies medicine;
• P100 million for autoclave waste management disposal;
• P66.5 million for financial assistance to drug rehabilitation centers;
• P50 million for epidemiology and disease surveillance; and
• P14 million for de-worming

Moreover, the UP Philippine General Hospital will receive an additional P200 million for drugs and medicines and P267 million for the treatment of indigent patients.