Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez Jr., author of House Bill No. 6069 with Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District) as co-author, yesterday said he will join Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. in a rally in case there are moves to privatize government hospitals.

The bill that was discussed and approved by the Committee on Health on May 16, 2012 seeks the corporatization of government hospitals in the country.

Marañon had earlier said that he will lead a rally against any moves to privatize government hospitals.

“I am 1,000 percent against the privatization of existing government hospitals. The bill I filed, House Bill No. 6069, seeks to make government hospitals as government-owned and controlled corporations and not to privatize the same. If there are other camps moving to privatize said hospitals, I will be the first one to vehemently oppose it,” Golez said.

He said the corporatization of hospitals will help make medical services for the poor better, faster and more accessible, adding that he has no intention whatsoever to seek the privatization of government hospitals.

“All I want is better and wider health services for all Filipinos, especially the poor,” he said.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona supports the bill as part of the universal health care program of the Aquino administration, he said.

The corporatization of government hospitals is seen to be complementary to the amendments in the PhilHealth law, which seeks to give health insurance to all Filipinos, he added.

Senator Franklin Drilon also filed a bill similar to House Bill No. 6069 in the Senate.

Golez expressed his full support for the universal health care program of the current administration, and lauded the president for the advances in health services he mentioned in the third State of the Nation Address Monday.

“A simple reading of the bill I filed would readily show that it is for upgrading the medical services rendered to the underprivileged. Under the bill, the 'corporatized' hospitals will be empowered to become more responsive to the needs to the people in their area,” he said.

The corporatization of the 26 government hospitals mentioned in House Bill No. 6069 will cut the long processes in getting projects and services for the poor because the said hospitals will be enabled to act on its own, he said.

House Bill No. 6069 will also help in augmenting the salaries of underpaid and overworked health workers, he added.

“Everything I had in mind, as a doctor and as a manager, in filing House Bill No. 6069, is to improve the medical services to the poor”, Golez said.

Golez has just returned from attending a short course entitled “Driving Corporate Performance Program” at Harvard University in the United States.

He said he has invited different stakeholders, including Secretary Ona, Sen. Drilon, Bayan Rep. Teddy Casiño, Rep. Raymond Palatino, Gabriela, and Marañon, for a discussion about the corporatization in Bacolod City on August 2.

“All the parties airing their concerns relating to House Bill No. 6069 have one thing in common and that is the desire to bring fast, reliable and free medical services for the poor, which is also my desire in filing said bill. I hope the discussion would bring a unitary solution on the problem of how can we improve the medical services for the poor,” he said.*CPG

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