ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio. Photo courtesy of ACT Teachers party-list.
ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio is pressing Congress to restore funding for government hospitals, warning that the proposed 2027 health budget could leave facilities with fewer opportunities to hire workers despite existing personnel shortages.
The Department of Health (DOH) sought Php 837 billion for next year but received Php 353.8 billion under the National Expenditure Program, a difference of more than Php 483 billion. Tinio raised the impact of the allocation during House budget deliberations.
Among his concerns was funding for DOH-run hospitals in Metro Manila. Their combined allocation would fall to Php 26.9 billion from Php 30 billion this year, affecting both personnel expenses and day-to-day operations.
Tinio cited reductions of about Php 500 million for Rizal Medical Center and Php 311 million for the National Center for Mental Health. He said some unfilled plantilla positions were also being removed from the proposed budget.
“Kulang na nga ng staff, binabawasan pa,” Tinio said, arguing that eliminating funding for vacant positions would prevent hospitals from filling those posts even when additional health workers become available.
While hospitals could receive money through PhilHealth reimbursements and the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients program, Tinio questioned relying on those sources to compensate for lower direct appropriations. He noted that reimbursements are not immediately available when hospitals incur expenses.
The lawmaker also linked the funding issue to hospital capacity, saying only about 30,000 beds remained authorized despite a target of expanding the number to 45,000 by 2028. He cited reductions in the Health Facilities Enhancement Program as a factor affecting expansion.
Tinio said he would raise the issue again during plenary deliberations and seek the restoration of personnel and operating funds. He argued that zero-balance billing could reach only as many patients as public hospitals have the staff, beds and resources to accommodate.
