House: Stop privatization of public hospitals

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives, under the leadership of new Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is urging the Duterte administration to stop selling public hospitals to the private sector.

The collective sense of Arroyo and her colleagues is contained in Bill 7437, “an act prohibiting the privatization and corporatization of public hospitals, public health facilities and health services, and providing penalties for violations thereof.”

It is among scores of measures the House approved on third and final reading since the former president took over from ousted speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on July 23.

“There are enough private hospitals for the rich,” Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, who sponsored the measure as chairperson of the committee on health, said Friday.

She noted that among government health facilities on which privatization spadework has started are the National Orthopedic Hospital in Quezon City and National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City.

Among the authors of the bill are Reps. Lito Atienza of Buhay, Gus Tambunting of Parañaque and the Makabayan bloc of seven leftist party-list lawmakers.

The recommended ban on the privatization of public health facilities covers the four specialty hospitals in Quezon City, namely the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines and Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

The bill also mandates that 90 percent of the facilities’ bed capacity should be allotted to poor patients.

The measure imposes penalties for violators: a fine of P100,000 to P200,000 and suspension from public office for one year to two years for the first offense, a fine of P200,000 to P500,000 and disqualification from holding any government post for three years to six years for the second offense, and a fine of P500,000 to P800,000 and removal from public office and perpetual disqualification for the third offense.