MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) suffered a P456-million budget cut for next year, which Congress must restore or increase to avert a deterioration in its delivery of services to the poor, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said yesterday.
Recto expressed dismay over the budget cut, saying funding for the PGH “is the national barometer of the government’s health priorities.”
Instead of getting additional funds to treat more patients and train more doctors, Recto said the PGH “has been prescribed a P1.25 million daily reduction in budget.”
“The PGH is often the first option and the last resort of the poor and middle class families to get the best medical treatment,” he said.
Recto said the PGH appropriations would be reduced from P3.23 billion this year to P2.77 billion next year.