Clark Freeport, Pampanga—The strengthening of the 42,041 Barangay Health Station (BHS) care system, the expansion of PhilHealth coverage and a bigger appropriation for the health sector were among the top legislative agenda of the new party-list Anakalusugan in the coming midterm elections of 2019.
Mike Defensor, one of the three nominees of the party list said that they want to focus on health to serve as the “physician aide” looking after the overall health need of the 110 million Filipinos.
Defensor said that out of the total 42,041 villages in the country as of first quarter of 2018, only 50 percent have health stations. In 2015, 12 villages were added, ten from Ifugao and two from Oriental Mindoro bringing it to 42,041.
During a media forum here, Defensor also introduced the other nominees of the party-list, former Philippines National Railways (PNR) General Manager Ower Andal and former Batangas Mayor League president Adorlito Ginete of Sta. Teresita.
Ginete is the 1st nominee followed by Defensor and Andal.
Defensor who is also the former housing czar said that Anakalusugan wants to bring its advocacy to Congress with the same zeal of excellence by pushing for health-focused legislation to better serve the health needs of the people specially the marginalized sectors.
According to Defensor, they will strengthen every barangay health station by increasing their funding from the local government units from their internal revenue allotments (IRA).
“We will also see to it that these village health stations exist and are fully equipped to support the health needs of every resident in the locality”, Defensor said.
The multi-billion village health program had a serious problem and its continuation depends on the finding of Commission on Audit (COA) fraud audit.
In a recent interview, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the project is good because it serves the need of the people in the far-flung areas in the country.
But its continuation depends on the finding of the COA. The government agency found irregularities in the implementation of the BHS project alongside the misunderstanding between the health and education departments.
Ginete, on the other hand, said they will also initiate the expansion of the Philhealth to cover medical checkup and maintenance medicine specially among the senior citizens which is one of their complaints because of limited financial capability.
“Let us include diagnostic coverage under the Philhealth even once a year only” Ginete said.
Defensor also said that Anakalusugan discovered that an average of 580,000 Filipinos have died of heart diseases, cancer and pneumonia for the past two years without being treated by doctors.
The top killer diseases come from the National Capital Region, Southern Tagalog, and Central Luzon.
“So, we really have to strengthen the healthcare program of the country so that every Filipino would have the chance to undergo medical checkup and meet the requirements for a maintenance medicine supported by the government,” he said.
Instead of retrenchment, the party-list group will work for the bigger appropriation for the health sector in the yearly national allocation including public hospitals to better serve the needs of the people.