Solons lament cut on communicable diseases prevention budget, unfunded P500M aid to cancer patients

Iloilo Representative Janet Garin expressed alarm Wednesday over the P4.2 billion budget cut on the Department of Health's (DOH) prevention and control of communicable diseases under the proposed P5.2 trillion budget, saying such move could be ill-timed since the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing.

Garin, House appropriations panel vice chairperson and former Health secretary, made the position after it was revealed during DOH's presentation of its P301 billion budget for 2023 that the allocation for prevention and control of communicable diseases was cut to fund the health promotion program, among other services.

“We are in dire need of funds and these funds was transferred to the health promotion office and to the blood center and other voluntary blood services. These services are laudable, pero mahirap po kasi i-explain sa taumbayan na ang tinapyas ng DOH ay para sana sa program ng communicable diseases," she said.

(It is difficult to justify to our people why are we cutting the budget for prevention of communicable diseases.)

"Marami pa tayong challenges. Ang pondo na ito ay pwede na ibili ng dagdag na gamot kontra-COVID, pwede ibili para sa monkeypox, and gamitin sa ibang pangangailangan. My point is, the pandemic is not yet over. Bakit natin tatapyasan ang control and prevention disease,” she added.

(We still have a lot of challenges. We could have used this fund to buy additional anti-COVID-19 medicines, against monkeypox, as well as other needs. Why are we cutting the budget for these?)

Garin, a medical doctor, said communicable diseases such as COVID-19, tuberculosis, monkeypox, leptospirosis, encephalitis, and even the HIV/AIDS surged due to disruptions in health services caused by the pandemic.

She said the country’s cumulative confirmed HIV caseload has breached the 100,000-mark within the first half of this year based on the National HIV/AIDS Registry.

DOH officer-in-charge Rosario Vergerie explained during the hearing that the budget was reduced because the agency did not procure personal protective equipment (PPE) and GeneExpert cartridges used to test tuberculosis, COVID-19, hepatitis, and HIV anymore as it still has enough supply.

Garin, however, argued that preventing communicable diseases goes beyond purchasing PPEs and GeneExpert cartridges.

"Health promotion is good but mas importante ba 'yung health impact assessment and action research kaysa salbahin natin ang kalusugan ng ating kababayan,” Garin said.

(Health promotion is good but is health impact assessment and action research more important than saving the health of our people?)

Aside from budget cut on prevention of communicable diseases, only P24.98 billion was allocated for COVID-19 response which is way below the DOH's original proposal of P95 billion.

Cancer fund

Another lawmaker, Deputy Minority Leader Bernadette Herrera of Bagong Henerasyon party-list, lamented the zero budget for the P500 million assistance for cancer patients in the 2023.

Herrera was referring to the assistance fund provided under the Republic Act 11215 or the National Integrated Cancer Control (NICC) law passed in 2019 which aims to provide cancer patients better access to affordable health care services.

“This financial assistance from the government will help defray treatment-related expenses for cancer patients who are facing financial challenges, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic that really brought them to their knees. We will do everything in our power to make sure that the cancer assistance fund will be included in the final version of the 2023 national budget,” Herrera said in a statement.

Vergeire, during the budget hearing, said the cancer assistance fund is yet to be fully implemented due to the initial contradicting provisions of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of National Integrated Cancer Control law and the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the national budget law.

"This was not really fully implemented for 2022 because we needed a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) with DBM (Department of Budget and Management) due to contradicting provisions of the GAA and the IRR of the law. We had a reconciliation [effort] and we were able to finally agree," she said.

"The JMC was issued last August, so we can implement it now," Vergeire added.

The Health official also said it already asked the DBM to grant them the P500 million for cancer fund but to no avail.

Vergeire then echoed Herrera's appeal to Congress to restore the amount.—AOL, GMA News