Senate bills to boost Philippines healthcare system

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher Go is pushing for more health-related bills to boost the healthcare system as the country moves to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.

Go filed Senate Bills 1226 or the DOH Hospital Bed Capacity and Service Capability Rationalization Act, SB 1451 or the Medical Reserve Corps Act of 2020, SB 1259 or the Mandatory Quarantine Facilities Act of 2020 and SB 1528, which seeks to amend Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.

Go, chairman of the Senate committee on health and demography, said his proposals seek to strengthen and enhance the country's healthcare system.

“As chairman of the Senate committee on health, I will make sure we will have proper healthcare system while we are still trying to make it through the crisis brought by COVID-19. Let us all learn from this experience and better prepare ourselves for any health emergency that may come,” Go said.

He said that SB 1226 aims to authorize the Department of Health to increase the bed capacity and service capability of its retained hospitals and allow it to promulgate, evaluate and approve guidelines.

As the quarantine protocols and physical distancing measures proved to be crucial in the fight against COVID-19, Go filed SB 1259, which seeks to establish quarantine facilities in every region in the country.

Go also filed a bill seeking to strengthen the country’s efforts in disease surveillance and epidemiologic investigation.

He said the bill seeks better capabilities in contact tracing and testing of diseases.