Sen. Hontiveros seeks P48.7B DOH budget hike for COVID-19 response

Senator Risa Hontiveros is proposing a P48.7-billion increase for the Department of Health's (DOH) 2021 budget to bolster the country's COVID-19 response and recovery.

Hontiveros stated that the national budget for the upcoming year must be a "pandemic budget" to effectively combat the virus.

She believes this increase would place the health sector among the top three budget allocations for 2021.

According to Hontiveros, the current DOH budget is insufficient to sustain both pandemic response and regular health operations.

She argued that with the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget, the DOH is not even among the top three agencies receiving the largest funding.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go is also pushing for the swift passage of the DOH's 2021 budget, emphasizing the need for increased funding to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Go highlighted the importance of adequate budget allocation for essential supplies like PPEs, masks, and COVID-19 test kits, as well as for healthcare worker compensation and hospital operations.