Pasig City — "Immoral." Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia (HCWH-SEA) describes the government proposed additional P10 billion to supplement this year's calamity fund.
"While a portion of the impounded budget is reallocated to the calamity fund, the government must proceed to releasing the remaining amount to its original intention."
HCWH-SEA
Executive Director
According to Merci Ferrer, Executive Director of HCWH-SEA and member of the Health Cluster of the Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI), "to date, allocated budget of various government agencies in 2008 amounting to P140 billion remains unreleased and at the mercy of the President. It is at her discretion to reallocate portion of this to the calamity fund."
The proposed P10 billion will be added to the P29 million remaining calamity fund to provide relief efforts to victims and damages caused by the typhoons that recently hit the country and to mitigate effects of impending disasters.
Beyond Calamity
"However, the government should be stringent in disbursing the fund and must not forget the original purpose of the impounded budget (from where the calamity fund will be coming from)," Ferrer warns.
"The P140 billion in 2008 were allocated to government agencies to provide for basic social services such as health, education, food� We have to remember that beyond disaster preparedness, there are other mouths to be fed, social services to be provided," said Ferrer.
"While a portion of the impounded budget is reallocated to the calamity fund, the government must proceed to releasing the remaining amount to its original intention," added Ferrer.
The group is calling for release of the impounded health budget-P100 million for purchase of 16 medical waste treatment autoclaves for government-controlled hospitals, P400 million for TB program intended for treatment of 100,000 children with primary complex and 133 patients with multi-drug resistant TB, and P1.82 billion for maternal health program.
"With this budget, we will be easing the burgeoning problems of many Filipinos. The typhoon victims maybe the same people who will be benefiting from these health allocations."
Health Budget At Risk
Responding to the Department of Health's call to likewise tap the calamity fund, HCWH-SEA through ABI has proposed in the 2010 budget an allocation of P28.05 million for purchase of mercury-free sphygmomanometers and thermometers in 66 DoH-run hospitals.
The DoH reported P670 million worth of damages in the 16 major government hospitals.
"We originally proposed this budget initiative following DoH call for mercury-free hospitals by 2010. With the damages incurred during the typhoon, we know that a lot of medical equipments will now have to be replaced. The P28.05 million is a good start to support our hospitals who during the disaster had continuously and bravely served the people."