Accountability, swift action on delays in gov’t health facility projects
DURING a public hearing, conducted by the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go led a detailed scrutiny of the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), zeroing in on unresolved delays and escalating costs that plague various health infrastructure projects nationwide.
Addressing the Department of Health (DOH) about ongoing projects under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), particularly highlighting troubling delays in completion and escalating costs, Go specifically pointed to projects such as the Super Health Center in Candijay, Bohol, which, despite a hefty investment, remains incomplete.
“’Yung sa Candijay po, sa Bohol, funded po ito ng PhP56 million in 2023 pero hindi pa po natatapos. Though ‘yung inyong standard Super Health Center is around PhP11.5 million, ito PhP56 million, hindi pa rin po natatapos. Ano ba’ng nagiging problema po sa inyong implementation ng inyong mga HFEP projects?” Go queried.
While criticizing the sluggish progress of certain projects, Go also acknowledged successful implementations, citing the Super Health Center in Tingloy, Batangas as a model of what effective government intervention can achieve.
“Tulad po ng Tingloy sa Batangas, island po ito… 45 minutes away (from mainland) pero meron na kayong Super Health Center doon. ‘Yung mga kababayan nating Batangueño, hindi na nila kailangan bumiyahe ng bangka sa mga check-up… At na-implement n’yo po itong Konsulta Program po ng PhilHealth doon,” he pointed out.
In response, DOH Undersecretary Emmie Chiong acknowledged the pre-existing issues with the project and detailed the steps being taken to address them. Chiong emphasized that these efforts were ongoing and that she was awaiting further updates on the progress.
Director Melissa Sena from the DOH presented an update on the status and scope of the HFEP. As of the second quarter of 2024, the HFEP has contributed to the establishment and upgrading of 2,640 primary care facilities, with six newly built and others receiving funds for repairs and upgrades to qualify for Konsulta accreditation.
She also discussed the improvements in hospital infrastructure, including the increase in hospital beds and bed-to-population ratios that had initially dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic but saw recovery in 2023.
Additionally, she provided insights into the financial strategy for healthcare infrastructure, noting that 218 out of 610 HFEP-funded Super Health Centers are infrastructure-ready, with 37 of these centers fully operational by July 2024.
With this, Go emphasized the critical need for these health facilities to reach completion not just for the sake of expenditure but for the tangible health benefits they are meant to provide the Filipino people.
“Importante dito, to make it operational and functional at mapakinabangan po ng mga kababayan natin. Huwag po tayong mag-iwan ng white elephant projects dahil pera po ito ng taumbayan. Dapat po ay walang masayang ni piso o sentimo po ng pondo ng bayan,” he ended.