‘DOH has P40 billion excess funds that can fund senior health care’

MANILA, Philippines — As the House of Representatives tries to find ways to improve the measly allocation for the health care of senior citizens, it turns out that the Department of Health (DOH) has “excess funds” to support such a program.

“There’s usually around P40 billion in excess funds that can be used to support a more aggressive seniors’ health insurance system, apart from the excess reserve funds of PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.). We are on our way there,” Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda revealed.

Salceda, who chairs the House ways and means committee, said the “fiscal resources for health are not yet exhausted” and that the “absorptive capacity of the DOH to spend it in full typically falls short.”

He added that this simply means that the government could still augment the P3,000 monthly income that an “average senior” makes, where a separate fund from PhilHealth could also be sourced.

“(The P3,000 monthly) keeps around 47 percent of them below the poverty line. The welfare gap – or what we need to give all seniors a decent life – is around P9.1 trillion. Around 18 percent of the gap – P1.64 trillion – is the health care financing gap,” the lawmaker said.

“That’s what we need to find ways of addressing. Within that gap, there are chronic conditions that require primary and supportive health care. That is where PhilHealth primarily devotes its resources,” he added.

Salceda likewise disclosed that the “unfilled gap (for seniors) is in acute or catastrophic health care.”

“Without insurance, such medical expenses can be ruinous to ordinary families with senior citizens. The very limited case rates under PhilHealth’s existing packages simply won’t do,” he said.

Grateful

Meanwhile, two senior citizen-beneficiaries – a repairman and a businesswoman who sells indigenous Mangyan crafts – have expressed their gratitude to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for helping them cope with their post-productive life.

Periano Yeso, 77, from Barangay Poblacion I in Victoria town, and 85-year-old Amalia Buenaventura, a resident of Barangay Cabalwa in Mansalay town, both in Oriental Mindoro province, thanked the agency, headed by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, for its Social Pension Program.

“I usually buy food, soap, etc. from the money that I receive from DSWD. I also use a portion of it to buy malfunctioning electric fans so that I can fix and sell them. I’m very grateful to DSWD,” Yeso said of his P1,000 monthly pension, which makes him financially independent.

His story has proven that age should never be a barrier to productivity and self-sufficiency.

The money serves as crucial capital for his repair business, allowing him to meet his essential needs more comfortably.

As a repairman specializing in fixing malfunctioning electric fans, he not only sustains himself, but also thrives in his occupation.