De Lima: Probe DOH’s ‘haunted’ hospitals

MANILA, Philippines —  Hospitals for ghosts?

Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima posed this question yesterday as she filed a measure seeking to investigate the cases of alleged misuse and abuse of public funds under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) of the Department of Health (DOH).

De Lima filed House Resolution No. 353 after the reported wastage of DOH funds and the possible corruption of government officials, public employees and private companies and individuals that resulted in “haunted hospitals” or abandoned, incomplete or non-operational hospitals, health centers and similar facilities.

De Lima also expressed alarm over the insufficient supply – or complete lack – of medicines in public hospitals, as well as the questionable allocation of government-procured mental health medicines worth hundreds of millions which are nearing expiration, a portion of which was reportedly delivered to the Rotary Club of Quezon City, but denied by a former official of the latter organization.

“The wasted billions of funds for the health services of the Filipinos is not acceptable. We have many countrymen who are afraid of being hospitalized, not only because of their illness, but also the huge amount that they would pay,” De Lima said.

Meanwhile, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno has filed HR 351 together with his fellow Akbayan reform bloc members Perci Cendaña, Dadah Kiram Ismula and Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao urging appropriate committees to investigate alleged irregularities and inefficiencies in DOH’s HFEP.

During budget hearings, Rep. Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers party-list said the DOH disclosed that a total of P400 billion had been released to local government units over the last 10 years under the HFEP, including additional allocations for commodities and human resources.

Based on records, Tinio said the program’s budget has expanded significantly from P43.5 million in 2007 to as much as P34.7 billion in 2025, with a cumulative allocation of P241.4 billion in the past 18 years.

Despite its huge budget, Tinio said the DOH admitted that only 200 out of 600 health centers are currently functional.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa even described these nonfunctional facilities as the “flood control version” of the DOH.

The resolution seeks to determine why numerous government-funded health centers remain nonfunctional or underutilized, despite massive budget allocations intended to improve access to health care facilities nationwide.

“These irregularities undermine the objectives of Republic Act 11223, otherwise known as the Universal Health Care Act, which guarantees equitable access to quality health care for all Filipinos,” the resolution read.