The items presented on Friday were for expanding financial support to the health sector and another to benefit large parts of the country that are vulnerable to natural disasters.
“We wish that the incoming government officials who won would give priority to health … as well increase the budget for health care because we all know that we are still in a pandemic,” Mendoza told the Inquirer in an interview. “I think our nurses would be happy to stay here in the country if we will have a good system of compensation and benefits and as well as timely disbursement of this compensation,” he told the Inquirer.At the House of Representatives, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said he also was hoping that Marcos would prioritize reforms in the health-care system, particularly in the “broken” Philippine Health Insurance Corp. , the state health insurer.
Salceda said he will refile an amended version of his proposed PhilHealth Reform Act, when the 19th Congress opens in July, urging the incoming Marcos administration to prioritize reforms in the state health insurer and the health-care system.Salceda also cited growing criticisms of PhilHealth’s plan to implement a 4-percent increase in monthly contributions starting next month, which would be retroactive to January.
His bill, among other reforms, would appoint the finance secretary as chair of the PhilHealth board and make the Bureau of Treasury the fund manager of the investment reserve fund.