The Committee on Health of the House of Representatives recently approved House Bill No. 6069, or an Act Creating National Government Hospital Corporations filed by Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez Jr. with Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District), chairman of the Committee on Health, as co author on March 2012, a press release from the Office of Golez said.
During the committee meeting, where the members took up several bills including H.B. 6069, Golez highlighted the fact that the corporatization of government hospitals will lead to better management of funds that in turn will result to more services for poor patients, the press release said.
Present at the meeting was Jossel Ebesate, president of the Alliance of Health Workers, who expressed that the proposed bill might affect services to the poor and the security of tenure of hospital employees, the release also said.
It added that, Golez clarified that the bill is not for privatization but for making the 25 hospitals in the bill, which includes the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, government owned and controlled corporations, it said.
It also said that Golez added that the measure will give the hospitals more autonomy in their management and can conduct income-generating activities that will be primarily used for indigent patients.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona also attended the meeting and expressed his support for the bill and stressed that when passed into law, it will maximize efficiency in the hospitals, the press release said, adding that a similar bill was filed in the Senate by Senator Franklin Drilon.*CGS back
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