Philippines should have spent more on health –business group

The Philippine government should have spent more of its budget in boosting the health sector as this would have minimized the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, according to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP).

ECOP President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said the P30 billion in losses was a hefty price to pay compared to spending millions on the health sector.

"A few hundred millions lang 'yan eh. Bayaran mo 'yung mga private hospital, dadagdagan pa bed. 'Di binabayaran yata ng PhilHealth," he said in Mav Gonzales' Sunday report on "24 Oras Weekend."

"Tapos 'yung mga government hospital naman kulang na ng budget siguro kaya ayaw magbukas ng additional kwarto, kulang ng tao."

(That's just a few hundred millions. Pay the private hospital, they'll add the beds. But it seems that PhilHealth is not paying. And then the government hospitals may lack the budget that is why they don't want to open additional rooms, and they don't have enough health workers.)

Under its mandate, PhilHealth is tasked to administer the National Health Insurance Program which aims to provide health insurance coverage and ensure affordable, acceptable, available, and accessible health care services for all citizens of the Philippines.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) last week said that the two-week reimposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the NCR Plus bubble would result in P30 billion in household income losses.

"A few hundreds lang 'yon, ilang milyon lang 'yun and then paparusahan mo ang buong bayan, ang buong ekonomiya," said Ortiz.

(Just a few hundreds of millions, and now you end up punishing the whole country, the whole economy.)

The ECQ was in palce in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan starting March 29. It was set to last only until April 4, but was extended for another week until April 11.

Malacanang on Sunday announced that the NCR Plus area will shift to a modified enhance community quarantine (MECQ) which will be in place from April 12 to April 30. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News