ILOILO City – A reenacted budget for the Iloilo provincial government in 2019 will have a serious consequence on the delivery of public health services, the officer-in-charge of the Hospital Management Office warned.
According to Dr. Alberto Cordero, the services of 1,660 hospital personnel cannot be renewed if they cannot be paid – and this could “jeopardize” the operation of 11 district hospitals and the Iloilo Provincial Hospital.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan was still deliberating on the proposed P3.7-billion provincial government budget for 2019.
Among these 1,660 hospital personnel are 1,011 contract of service and 649 job hires. Their contracts are expiring on Dec. 31, Cordero told the press after a committee hearing on the budget on Friday.
Previously Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. warned that these hospital personnel will not get paid if the Provincial Board fails to approve the proposed 2019 budget and capitol is forced to operate on a reenacted 2018 budget.
The salaries of contract of service and job hires for the new fiscal year are not included in the 2018 budget, he had said.
“In a reenacted budget for 2019, there is nothing to spend for new programs not present in the 2018 budget,” Acting Provincial Accountant Orwen Anuevo had explained.
Cordero said the allocation for the salaries of the 1,660 hospital personnel is under the proposed budget for 2019.
Among the affected hospital personnel are 27 medical specialists, 51 medical officers, 492 nurses, 218 nursing attendants, 49 pharmacists, 71 medical technologists, 40 radiologic technologists, 12 social workers, and 47 administrative support staff.
“Kon indi ma-renew ang aton medical specialist, ang aton pharmacist and medical technologist, ma-jeopardize ang aton nga hospital operations,” said Cordero, also the chief of Pedro G. Trono Memorial District Hospital in Guimbal town.
While capitol-run hospitals may still operate 24/7, they might deliver subpar services due to lack of manpower, Cordero explained.
“Ang services naton ma-jeopardize kay ang aton manpower complement mabuhinan,” he said. “Ang aton pharmacy indi maka-operate 24/7, amo man ang laboratory kay ang mga tawo dira amo na ang contract of service.”
Moreover, capitol risks losing these hospital personnel to other employers if the approval of the budget gets delayed by a month or two – if it gets passed at all – said Cordero.
“If ever ma-aprubahan man ang budget, ma-delay for two months or one month, do you think ang mga doctors kag medical specialists ma-obra pa ayhan sa mga hospitals naton?” he said.
Many of these hospital personnel have families to support and cannot afford to be jobless, said Cordero.
Citing the challenge in hiring medical practitioners, Cordero appealed to the Provincial Board to approve the 2019 budget before this year ends.
The status of the proposed 2019 budget remains uncertain even after Dorothy Paes, chairwoman of the committee on appropriations, held a committee hearing on Friday.
It is not yet clear as of this writing when Paes would present her committee report to the plenary. The press tried to reach her but she went to another meeting immediately after the committee hearing.
“There are a lot of concerns kay may iban nga waay klaro maayo kon ano ang gamitan sang certain funds,” Vice Gov. Christine Garin, presiding officer, said when asked why it is taking them so long to pass the budget.
“Ang gusto sang SP (Sangguniang Panlalawigan) is to clarify. I think it’s not really much … hapos sia i-plastar galing waay pa ma-plastar,” she said.
During their previous regular session, Garin pointed out that the Provincial Board can hold sessions every day if only to beat the deadline for the approved budget, which is before the year-end./PN
