Capitol slashes budget for nine hospitals

CEBU, Philippines - Allocations for the operation of nine provincial and district hospitals have decreased as reflected in the proposed P3 billion executive budget of the Cebu provincial government for the year 2015.

A total of P297.5 million budget has been proposed for the operations of 16 provincial and district hospitals and allocations for each hospital increased except for the provincial hospitals of Balamban and Danao City, and district hospitals of Barili, Argao, Malabuyoc, Oslob, Sogod, Bantayan, and Daanbantayan.

For instance, Barili District Hospital, which obtained the highest percentage of decrease, has an P11-million allocation for next year, which is 10 percent lower compared to the current year’s P10 million.  Danilo Rodas, Provincial budget Officer, explained that this resulted from the increase of income generated by the nine hospitals.

In a report over DYAB radio, he said subsidies for these hospitals may even decrease next year depending on the performance of these hospitals.

In his budget message, Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III reported that the income from the operation of hospitals has increased by more than P50-million this year.

“(This is) due to improvement in collection efficiency and increase in patients served as a result of much improved hospital services. This is in line with this administration’s thrust to increase hospital revenues thru service excellence,” said the governor as he mentioned the province-run hospitals that have acquired a status upgrade.

In the “Kapistorya” forum yesterday organized by the Provincial Information Office, the Provincial Health Office reported that 10 out of the 16 provincial and district hospitals can now perform surgical operations after being upgraded to level 1 by the Department of Health. The remaining hospitals are still in the primary care level.

The hospitals which were given the upgrade status are the provincial hospitals in the cities of Carcar, Bogo and Danao, and the district hospitals in Bantayan, Barili, Badian, Tuburan, San Francisco, Argao, and Sogod.

To acquire the level one status, an operating room has to be established, said Cynthia Genosolango, Provincial Health Officer.

Davide said the province is eyeing to upgrade the status of the provincial and district hospitals to at least level one as part of the priority of his administration.

Genosolango further said the province is aiming to improve the level-one hospitals to the next level by next year.

Genosolango added that the accreditation would help the beneficiaries of the PhilHealth program.

PhilHealth Circular 32 series of 2013, also known as Point-of-Care Enrollment program, automatically enrolls indigent non-members who are confined in government hospitals. —  (FREEMAN)