DEAR Mr. President:
It is a well-known fact that most if not all our public hospitals and clinics are lacking in beds, medical equipment and other devices that are necessary in treating patients and saving lives.
Every year, the two houses of Congress allocate new funding for the Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act (GAA). And yet, year in and year out, the problem of lacking beds, equipment and devices always remain unsolved.
Why is that so? Do the members of our Congress not know that healthcare is one of our top priorities? Or do the members of our Congress not know how to prioritize their appropriations?
Or could it be that there really is not enough money to go around, such that the appropriations are almost always never enough? Or could it be that the officials of the DOH do not know how to manage their funds wisely?
Or perhaps these DOH officials are the ones who do not know how to prioritize their expenses? Or perhaps the DOH also falls victim to corruption, such that the funds that are intended for beds, equipment and devices are practically stolen?
Of course, I can understand that misappropriation and corruption could happen, but how long will that continue, and when will it ever end?
Meanwhile, only God knows how many people have already died over the years, because of the lack of these resources. Does the DOH ever gather that data at all?
Does the DOH ever tell our Congress about how many patients die because of these lacking or missing resources?
I think that if these facts are presented to our Congress, their change of priorities would somehow change.
In theory, the government is bigger and richer than all the private hospitals combined. What that means is that in theory, the government could make all our public hospitals bigger and richer than any private hospital, or any group of private hospitals.
By comparison, it is easier for our public hospitals raise funds by way of appropriations, compared to the private hospitals who would find it harder to raise funds by way of new investments.
Mr. President, I am aware that the goal of making public hospitals and clinics 100% complete could not happen overnight. To be fair, you may not be able to solve this problem within your remaining term.
I believe, however, that it is within your power to start the ball rolling. I believe that you can make a roadmap that could be completed by your successors in due time.
In fairness to the DOH however, this problem could only be solved by several agencies working together. Offhand, I think that you should mobilize not only the DOH, but also the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Development Academy of the Philippines, Presidential Management Staff, and Department of Budget, and NDBM.
The DOST and the DICT should be included, because I believe that we could design some of our own equipment and devices, instead of importing them.
The DAP and PMS should be included because they are our two top government think tanks. The DBM should be included, not only because of their budget function, because of their management role.
