BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – A technical working group has been formed to check whether the Department of Health’s (DOH) P8-million assistance to district hospitals in Iloilo province come from the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
The Supreme Court has declared DAP unconstitutional.
The technical working group is composed of representatives from the provincial government and DOH, said Provincial Board member Carmen Rita Monfort-Bautista, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s (SP) committee on health and sanitation.
Officers of the identified recipient hospitals were summoned to a committee hearing yesterday.
“We just want to make sure everything before the governor signs the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with DOH or we will be held liable,” said Monfort-Bautista.
The beneficiaries are the Rep. Pedro G. Trono District Hospital, Ramon Tabiana Memorial District Hospital, Iloilo Provincial Hospital, Barotac Viejo District Hospital, Sara District Hospital and Jesus Colmenares Memorial District Hospital.
The MOA signing was put on hold until the technical working group would have released its findings.
“We called the hearing to know where the fund comes from, who will benefit from it and who determines them, among others,” said Monfort-Bautista.
Reached for her comment, DOH regional director Marlyn Convocar said the funds are from the General Appropriations Act for the Health department’s Medical Assistance Program (MAP).
The P8 million will serve as financial assistance to indigents seeking medical treatment in district hospitals.
From what she had gathered, said Monfort-Bautista, DOH’s MAP has a total budget of P3.1 billion./PN
