Brothers and sisters, if we or our loved ones get sick, which hospital or medical facility do we go to?
According to the National Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2017, almost 6 out of 10 sick Filipinos go to public hospitals. For those in need to be admitted in hospitals for further care and healing, 55 percent were medicated through public
medical facilities.
In terms of expenses, it is clearly more expensive to go to private hospitals where the average hospitalization cost is not less than P33,000, while the cost of public hospitals only reach an average of P11,600. Because of the high cost of medical services in private hospitals, it is easy to understand why many people go to public hospitals. It is good that, overall, the quality of services in many public medical centers are excellent, even if there are concerns that need improvement, such as additional beds and facilities.
One of the popular public hospitals in Manila is the Philippine General Hospital or PGH. This hospital was established in 1907 to provide medical services especially for those who are in dire need. Apart from the PGH being the primary hospital of the Philippine government, it also serves as a training ground for medical and nursing students, as well as those who are taking specializations in the field of health science. Fifteen years have passed since the last great change in PGH. In the past year, its emergency room and intensive care unit have been undergoing repair, but,
unfortunately, only 70 percent of the repair works have been done. At the same time, the issue of lack of beds to accommodate the ever-increasing number of patients every day has yet to be addressed. It is said that around 250 patients go to PGH every day, but there are only 25 beds available at the ER.
If this is the state of PGH, why would the Department of Budget and Management or DBM propose to cut the hospital’s budget by P456 million for the year 2020? It is also important to point out that the proposed budget for the country’s health sector for next year will reportedly be slashed by P10 billion. It is difficult to understand these budget cuts for the health sector and public hospitals like PGH amid the outbreak of measles and dengue, the return of the dangerous polio disease, and other severe illnesses like meningococcemia.
Maybe, due to the negative reactions raised by the public regarding these news and the persuasion of other lawmakers, the House of Representatives reportedly increased PGH’s budget by P500 million. We like to think that lawmakers are taking action based on reason and true compassion for the poor who have no choice but to go to public medical facilities like the PGH.
In the social teachings of the Church, it is clear that health care is a human right. It is equal to people’s right to have food, housing, work and education. In the statement for the assembly of members of the Doctors with Africa group in 2016, Pope Francis said that having proper health is a “universal right,” while health-care services cannot be a privilege only for the wealthy.
Brothers and sisters, getting sick nowadays is unfortunate, and even more so with our quality of health care available for the poor. Which is why those who are responsible for our public health care must give poor and indigent Filipinos access to good health services. In the case of the PGH, they can do this by increasing the hospital’s budget. This way, they can help more Filipinos stay healthy. According to the book of Corinthians 6:19, the human body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit.”
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