Manila: The Senate is reviewing a package of bills to establish, expand, and return provincial hospitals to national government control as 36 of the country's 82 provinces remain without a medical facility directly managed by the Department of Health (DOH). Senator Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, stated that the absence of DOH-run hospitals in nearly half of the provinces represents a major gap in the public health system.
According to Philippines News Agency, the measures cover proposed hospitals and facility improvements in Kalinga, Capiz, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Davao de Oro, Zambales, Agusan del Norte, and Romblon. Some bills seek to establish new hospitals, while others aim to upgrade or renationalize existing provincial facilities, expand current DOH hospitals, or place local institutions under the department's supervision, control, and management.
Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III endorsed the measures and asked to be included as a co-sponsor. Sotto mentioned that the proposals could help close the gap between the number of available hospital beds and the growing needs of patients, particularly in provinces where residents must travel long distances to obtain specialized treatment.
Hontiveros welcomed his endorsement but emphasized that expanding hospital capacity requires more than constructing buildings or adding beds. She noted that every facility must have sufficient doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical technologists, and other health workers, as well as laboratories, operating rooms, medicines, oxygen supplies, equipment, and a functioning referral system.
The government must also provide continuing allocations for personnel services and maintenance and other operating expenses, not merely capital outlay for construction, she added. The review is particularly important in provinces with parallel proposals to prevent service duplication and competition for the country's limited pool of health professionals.
For hospitals proposed for renationalization, lawmakers must also examine how employees, plantilla positions, assets, records, contracts, funds, and liabilities would be transferred without disrupting patient services. Hontiveros said Congress would decide whether hospitals should be created or placed under the DOH, while their exact bed capacity, staffing, and service capability must be based on health data and national planning.
She concluded that the goal is not to increase the number of hospitals on paper but to provide more Filipinos with nearby, prompt, and reliable hospital services.
