AMID the 2025 budget season in the Congress, Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte is pushing bigger funding support for the Department of Health (DOH) for the establishment of more super health centers and the upgrade of existing ones across the country.

Villafuerte, National Unity Party (NUP) president, said a higher outlay in the proposed DOH budget plan for 2025 is needed for priority initiatives, notably its Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), to make sure that more such super health centers are built nationwide in partnership with local government units (LGUs).

The CamSur congressman said the HFEP, for one, needs a higher allotment next year so LGUs that run these souped-up public clinics have sufficient funds to acquire top-grade medical equipment and pay for the salaries of doctors, nurses and other staff in these facilities.

“This will prevent existing and future super health centers from becoming empty, grass-filled structures that at times end up being used only for card games and drinking sessions,” Villafuerte, a former governor, said.

The House of Representatives has started plenary discussions on the proposed General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2025, in line with the goal of Speaker Martin Romualdez to wrap up the chamber’s deliberations on next year’s national budget bill this September.

Villafuerte, who is majority leader of the Commission on Appointments (CA), recalled that during the CA hearing on the appointment of DOH chief Teodoro Herbosa, the health secretary agreed with him on the need for HFAP reforms to improve the delivery of healthcare services to the public.

Such proposed reforms include, said Villafuerte, enabling the government to purchase equipment for these super health centers that are of better quality but not the cheapest ones offered by bidders.

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 in line with the government ’s commitment to provide quality and affordable healthcare to the regions and rural areas, President Marcos cited the importance of super health centers in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA)..

Said Mr. Marcos: “Katuwang din natin ang lokal na pamahalaan sa mga tinatayo nating mga tawag na super health centers. Sa tulong ng mga LGUs, malalagyan natin ng sapat na mga doktor at nars ang mga ito, at madadagdagan pa natin sa mga susunod na taon … layunin natin na sa lalong madaling panahon, lahat ng lalawigan natin ay may sapat na mga center o pasilidad na may kakayahang makapagbigay ng pangunahing serbisyong-medikal para sa ating mga mamamayan.”

For Villafuerte, “Allocating a much bigger DOH outlay for super health centers so they can acquire quality equipment and hire enough doctors and nurses, will ensure that these facilities do not go the way of some barangay health centers that end up being empty or unused buildings.”

Villafuerte told Herbosa during the latter’s CA hearing on his DOH appointment that, “I was governor for nine (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. 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.”

“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 added.

Villafuerte said that of the super health centers that were built in the past, a number of these 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.”

HFEP funds are intended for acquiring medical equipment and constructing, rehabilitating and upgrading health facilities nationwide, such as barangay health stations (BHSs), RHUs, polyclinics, LGU hospitals, DOH hospitals and other health facilities like super health centers.

The government’s goal is to bring healthcare services to the poor and marginalized sectors through the upgrade of priority BHSs and RHUs, provision of Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) and Comprehensive Emergency and Newborn Care (CEmONC) services to the population, and upgrade of government hospitals to make them more responsive to the healthcare needs of the localities.

Villafuerte said at Herbosa’s CA hearing that, “At dahil magandang konsepto po ang super health centers ay sana po pag gumawa kayo ng super health centers, isama nyo na po yung equipment. Kasi if you turn over a super health center sa mayor, I’m telling you now, the mayor cannot run it. Why? Wala syang pangbili ng equipment. And let’s just say the DOH gives the equipment, wala rin sya pong pang sweldo sa doktor at nurse. So ang tanong ko lang, Secretary, yung super health centers ba under HFEP next year, may kasama po ba kayong equipment, or will they be super health centers with no equipment?”

Herbosa replied that there will be budgetary provisions for the super health centers to be built henceforth under the HFEP, but conceded that the procurement system needs to be tweaked so the government don’t have to buy medical equipment from certain suppliers that become functional or operable for just a few months or less than a year.

“Masu-supply natin po yan sa ating mga super health centers na magagamit ng ating mga doktor at pasyente,” Herbosa said. Nakita ko na ang tagal nung construction nung mga super health centers, inaabot ng dalawang taon kung minsan. Dapat mga a few months lang.”

“So ngayon, ang pino-propose kong solution, maglalagay kami ng container van doon sa area at mag-uumpisa na kami ng services using a temporary facility kagaya ng ginagawa natin during times of disaster, para pwede nang magkaroon ng serbisyo kahit under construction pa yung super health center for many months,” he added. “And then, pag natapos na yung super health center, lilipat namin sa isang under construction naman yung pasilidad na yun.”

Villafuerte then suggested that the DOH acquire equipment for the super health centers that are of good quality and do not malfunction or break down after just three to six months of use.

“Sana naman po yung quality kasi, you know, marami rin kasing na-donate sa amin, sa provincial hospital na mga equipment from DOH but 3 or 6 na buwan lang, sira na, nakatambak na po. So if you want to provide the equipment including the health center, sana naman yung good quality na na equipment, na tatagal po,” he said.

Villafuerte is co-author of three House-approved, health-related priority bills of President Marcos, namely, House Bill (HB) 6522 creating the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and HB 6452 establishing the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VIP), and HB 6518 putting up the Medical Reserve Corps or the Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team (HEART) Act.