TRANSCRIPT OF SEN. PIA S. CAYETANO'S OPENING STATEMENT DURING THE SENATE BUDGET HEARING FOR DOH & ITS ATTACHED AGENCIES

This is the subcommittee of the Committee on Finance. On our agenda today is the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2021 of the NEP of the following:

DOH with a total new appropriation of P127,286,935,000. This is P26.7 billion higher compared to the budget for 2020. The major cause and driver of the DOH Osec. budget are the following budget line items: human resource for health deployment and medical assistance to indigent patients.

Its attached agencies and corporations include the National Nutrition Council with a total appropriation of P448,021,000; Philippine Health Insurance Corp. with a total appropriation of P71,353,360,000; Lung Center of the Philippines with a total appropriation of P404,997,000; National Kidney and Transplant Institute with a total appropriation of P1,271,442,000; Philippine Children's Medical Center with a total appropriation of P1,042,375,000; Philippine Heart Center with a total appropriation of P1,766,827,000; and the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Healthcare with a total appropriation of P134,493,000.

It goes without saying that the role of the DOH is even more important and critical at this time of COVID. It has exposed the gaps in our healthcare system and our ability to respond. Thus, in deliberating this agency's budget, our goal is really to build back better to achieve our SDGs and to really be able to look into the future using strategic methods to ensure that we are stronger healthcare-wise in the coming years.

Universal healthcare of course is very important to us, and thus, we will take time dissecting the budget of PhilHealth... I would like us all to be able to see the whole picture of healthcare and not just focus on DOH and PhilHealth, which is normally what happens...

Congratulations, Mr. Secretary [Duque] for your appointment in the WHO Regional Head position, which I read in the news this morning.