Duterte mulls bigger budget for city hospital next year

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) director Gloria Duterte is pushing for a bigger budget next year which would include the purchase of medical equipment and other infrastructure projects.

Duterte said she is proposing P549 million budget next year. Bulk of the proposed budget is intended for personal services, maintenance and other operating expenses.

Duterte said P450 million will be spent for the salaries and other benefits of the over 500 hospital employees. CCMC’s current budget is only P364 million, P80million of which was allocated for drugs and medicines.

Despite the proposed budget increase next year, Duterte said that the budget for drugs and medicine will still be P80 million.

“Mosaka man ang budget sa personal services tungod sa mandatory increase sa sweldo sa mga empleyado,” Duterte said. This year’s budget for personal services is only P208 million but it will be increased to P241 million.

Duterte said she will include a budget for capital outlay because of Mayor Michael Rama’s plan to construct additional building. Although, the area where the building is to be built is yet to be identified.

She said there was a plan by the mayor to construct the new hospital building at the city-owned lot adjacent to the existing Cebu City fire station located across the CCMC along Panganiban Street.

The proposed P150 million budget was already included in the 2011 Annual Budget but the city council disapproved it for lack of specific area.

Meanwhile, Duterte announced that a Non-Government Organization (NGO) is already committed to help in the construction of a new three-storey building within the CCMC compound to be made as Children’s Hospital.

The hospital chief refused to reveal the NGO yet but said it is willing to spend millions of pesos for the construction of a new hospital building.

Senator Pia Cayetano also donated P1 million to the CCMC for the renovation of the hospital’s Pedia and OB-Gyne wards.

Duterte said she will also ask the Department of Health (DOH) to allocate funds for CCMC’s expansion project. – (FREEMAN)