Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News
The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it was developing a budget calculator to help local governments know how much they could spend for health services once a Supreme Court ruling that would expand internal revenue allotments takes effect next year.
The DOH has been encouraging local government units (LGUs) to invest more in primary health care units in barangays where the public can avail of medical services instead of trooping to already congested hospitals, said Health Director Beverly Ho.
"'Yung direction natin ngayon is to work on a budget calculator that's more on per capita," she told reporters in an online press conference.
(Our direction now is to work on a budget calculator that's more on per capita.)
"Kung they have a way to run their LGU (local government unit), we have very little power to change that. The resources are just not really in one's full control," she said.
The budget calculator for health is being developed in anticipation of the enforcement of the high court's Mandanas ruling, which would allow local governments to get a share from the income of tax and tariff-collecting offices within their respective jurisdictions.
The ruling is expected to hike the budget of the capital city by as much as P90 billion, according to Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso.
The DOH is also encouraging provincial governments to coordinate with their city and municipal counterparts to ensure that health facilities would not be clustered in one part of a province, Ho said.
"We want them to have access to more primary care facilities rather than going to the hospital," she said.
"Hindi dapat mangyari 'yung magkakatabi 'yung laboratory, at 'yung mga hospital na sobrang magkakalapit," she said.
(Laboratories should not be located in one place, nor should hospitals be concentrated in another place.)
The Mandanas ruling is deemed effective only after the finality of the high court's ruling, which means, the adjusted amounts will be given to LGUs starting with the 2022 budget cycle.
The effort to build and strengthen primary health care units in villages comes as the Philippine hospitals, especially in the capital region, remain congested due to the influx of COVID-19 patients a year since the pandemic began.
The national government has placed Metro Manila and nearby provinces on a second lockdown in March to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has infected at least 1 million Filipinos since last year.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/27/21/doh-develops-health-budget-calculator-for-lgus
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