CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has proposed higher budgetary support for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) of the Department of Health (DoH) to prevent existing and future super health centers from becoming empty, grass-filled structures that sometimes end up being used only for card games and drinking sessions.

A former governor who is now a Camarines Sur congressman and majority leader of the Commission on Appointments (CA), Villafuerte, National Unity Party (NUP) president, suggested to Health Sec. Teodoro Herbosa, during a recent CA hearing, said that the annual DoH outlay for its HFAP needs a sizable bump so local government units (LGUs) that run super health centers are assured of sufficient funds to acquire top-grade medical equipment and pay for the salaries of doctors, nurses, and other staff in these souped-up clinics.

Meanwhile, AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee thanked the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for agreeing with his position on the need to increase the coverage it offers its members but urged the agency to ensure that the 30% increase applies to all cases as the agency has conceded that inflation has impacted the costs of health care in the country.

Lee, who wrote PhilHealth in October recommending a 20 to 30% increase in all benefit packages and coverage provided by the corporation, said, “I welcome the pronouncement of PhilHealth President and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. that they would increase most of its benefit packages in 2024.”

“However, for me, most is not enough; dapat across the board ang 30% increase–ika nga, sanaol.” The Bicolano lawmaker pointed out that he and Ledesma were in agreement that the case rates of PhilHealth are no longer realistic. “Isipin mo magkakasakit ka sa 2024 pero ang tulong na ibibigay sa‘yo ng PhilHealth pang-2014 pa ang rate. Ang pamasahe ng jeep noong 2014 ay P7.50. Ngayon 13 pesos na. Ganun kalaki ang pagtaas ng mga presyo,” explained Lee.

Aside from writing PhilHealth, the legislator had earlier filed House Resolution (HR) No. 1407, strongly urging PhilHealth to update and increase its coverage since its case rate “is no longer responsive to the hospitalization cost of the beneficiaries.”

Herbosa agreed with Villafuerte at the bicameral panel’s deliberations on his ad interim appointment as DOH secretary that HFAP reforms are necessary to improve the delivery of healthcare services to the public, including tweaks in the state procurement system so it will no longer be mandatory for the government to purchase through public bidding the cheapest equipment that is of inferior quality and not the best ones available in the market.

Super health centers are better versions of rural health units (RHUs) and medium-type versions of polyclinics and are meant to decongest hospitals, especially in the regions.

Villafuerte said that allocating much more significant outlays for super health centers to acquire quality equipment and hire enough doctors and nurses will ensure that these facilities stay in the way of some barangay health centers that become empty buildings.

“Mr. Secretary, I was governor for 9 years, at hirap na hirap po kami magpatakbo ng mga government hospitals. Noong na-devolve yan sa mga LGUs, pinasa, nag-deteriorate po ang healthcare system because wala naman talagang pera ang LGUs,” Villafuerte said. “The mayors, the governors, LGUs want to put up hospitals in the hope that they can help improve our public healthcare system. However, running a hospital is costly.”

Villafuerte told Herbosa: “Napakaganda po yung programa ng super health centers … Napakaganda po ng konsepto nyan. Pero kung bibisitahin nyo po, ang mga health centers—hindi super health centers ha—yung mga health centers na ginawa noon, kung puntahan nyo po ngayon, ginagawa pong tong-itsan lang ng mga tao. Bakit? Ginawa yung building, walang equipment. So, pag walang equipment, walang,doktor; pag walang doktor, walang gamot.”

He said that super health centers were built in the past, a number of which were completed and others were not. “Ang iba natapos pero up to now ay tinutubuan na ng talahib. At kung meron man natapos, yun na nga, ginagawang inuman at nagto-tong-its lang po ang mga barangay official dahil walang equipment.”

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has reportedly set aside P23 billion this year for the HFEP, which allocates capital outlay for the procurement or upgrade of health infrastructure and medical equipment in local government units (LGUs), in step with the Marcos administration’s commitment to providing quality and affordable healthcare to the regions and rural areas.

HFEP funds are to acquire medical equipment and construct, rehabilitate, and upgrade health facilities nationwide, such as barangay health stations (BHSs), RHUs, polyclinics, LGU hospitals, DoH hospitals, and other health facilities like super health centers.