For hospitals under DOH

WITH an overwhelming 257 votes, the House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill that aims to expand healthcare services by establishing specialized care centers in hospitals under the supervision and control of the Department of Health (DOH).

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, one of the principal authors of House Bill (HB) No. 7751, or the proposed Department of Health Specialty Centers Act, said the establishment of these facilities “would make specialized health care accessible to our people in the provinces, especially the poor.”

“We have specialty hospitals built during the time of the father of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., but all of these are in Quezon City. So our people in the regions and in Visayas and Mindanao who need the services of these health facilities will have to travel all the way to Quezon City to avail of their services,” he said.

The House leader was referring to the Philippine Heart Center (PHC), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP), and Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC), located not far from each other on East Avenue and Quezon Avenue.

Additionally, there is the Philippine Orthopedic Hospital in Banawe, also in Quezon City.

Speaker Romualdez noted that many Filipinos are suffering from heart, kidney, and lung ailments, which are among the top health problems in the country today.

“So we need more specialty centers, not necessarily rising to the level of a hospital, like those in Quezon City, to treat and care for our people requiring specialized health care in the provinces,” he said.

He said this is the reason why President Marcos recently asked the Philippine Heart Center to expand to the Clark Freeport in Angeles City, he said.

Speaker Romualdez added that the establishment of specialty centers would boost the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law.

House Bill (HB) 7751 mandates the DOH to establish these centers in select hospitals under its supervision and control. At least one center shall be put in place in every region within five years from the enactment of the bill.

The measures set criteria for these facilities, including health needs and demand, location and performance of the hospitals where the centers would be located, availability of competent specialized health care personnel, and accreditation with Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for patients to avail themselves of relevant health care packages.

The existing specialty hospitals in Quezon City shall help in the establishment of specialty centers in the regions and in the development of protocols and standards.

They are also mandated to provide technical assistance and training to the centers’ staff.

Initial expenses for the establishment of the centers shall be charged against the DOH budget. Succeeding funding requirements shall be included in the annual national outlay.

Other principal authors of HB 7751 include Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Representatives Angelo Marcos Barba of Ilocos Norte, Samuel Versoza Jr. of party-list group Tutok to Win, and Ciriaco Gato Jr. of Batanes, who is a physician and chairman of the committee on health.