THE 38 YEAR RAPE OF THE PHILIPPINE HEALTH SERVICES AND HOSPITALS

 Belarmino Dablos Saguing 19.07.2013 2030 ICT

Marcos’ Presidential Decree 2029 and 2080,  laid the legal framework for the privatization of government hospitals through  which and legalized the sale of Welfareville Property where the National Center for Mental Health stands through the Republic Act 5260

By setting up the Committee on Privatization and the Asset Privatization Trust,  Corazon Aquino, prepared the organizational mechanism for privatization. The Build-Operate and Transfer Law was also enacted during her term, which allowed the private sector to access official development aid for privatization projects.

Under the administration of Fidel Ramos, Privatization as a national government program and policy intensified after his administration moved vigorously to privatize public health care services. The Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, National Kidney and Transplant Institute and Philippine Children’s Medical Center became government-owned and controlled corporations – from its previous categorization as public hospitals – and are now earning profits through its expensive health services thus depriving indigent patients of accessible and affordable health care.

The deposed president Joseph Estrada implemented the Health Sector Reform Agenda and Executive Order 102 that transformed the functions of the Department of Health (DOH) from a direct service provider to a mere regulator and monitor of services. The said EO resulted in massive lay offs of DOH employees and dissolution of health programs such as the Malaria and Leprosy Control. 

Administrative Order No. 181 series of 2001 was also passed, which proposed to corporatize 38 public hospitals. Separate legislations were also filed to corporatize Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center and Western Visayas Medical Center.

During former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term, corporatization was the buzzword for privatization. It also pushed for corporatization of 68 public hospitals under the DOH.

Privatizations and corporatizatons of Hospitals and Public Health Services was further intensified under the administration of Noynoy Aquino which he included on his PPP projects.

The fast tracking of House Bill 6069 or An Act Creating National Government Hospital Corporations filed by Bacolod Rep. Anthony Rolando Golez, Jr., which has been passed by the Committee on Health in the House of Representatives last May 16. The bill proposed to corporatize 26 DOH retained hospitals; among these public hospitals are San Lazaro Hospital, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Veterans Regional Hospital, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Zamboanga City Medical Center among many others.

The past 38 years saw the worsening of one of the most important public service sector of the government denying the people of affordable health care and hospitalization and there seems no end to it as most of the privatization programs are of far-reaching and to continue in future years.

Todate, instead of the citizens getting affordable and accessable good health cares, they have to pay for it with what money money they can afford to spend leaving something for food and other daily living essentials, with the corporations getting fatter with profits from the people’s pockets.

Source:  http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/08/29/laying-the-foundations-for-the-privatization-of-government-hospitals/

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