ANAKPAWIS Partylist Rep. Rafael V. Mariano opposed the looming privatization of government hospitals pushed by the Aquino government’s public-private partnership projects in the health sector.
“Privatization of health care will be a bane for indigent Filipino patients who are desperately in need of health care and medical assistance from the government. It’s like cutting the lifeline of poor Filipino patients.”
“Allowing the private sector to control and operate vital health and medical institutions is tantamount to abandoning the state responsibility of providing the people with access to health care,” Mariano said as Anakpawis Partylist staged a picket protest at the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) in Quezon City to oppose the P5.6-billion POC rehabilitation project.
POC is among the 26 government hospitals that are up for privatization and rehabilitation. The pre-bidding process for the 25-year concession for the new 700-bed super specialty tertiary orthopedic hospital started last month. There are nine prospective bidders to the project, including Metro Pacific Investments Inc. of business tycoon Manny Pangilinan.
“We have long realized the long-term social costs and ill-effects of privatization. Privatization of public services does not automatically translate to better and more accessible delivery of services to the masses. Privatized and corporatized hospitals mean higher cost of health care. It means profit for the business sector and denial of service to poor patients,” said Mariano.
“Health care in corporatized government hospitals like the National Kidney Transplant Institute, Lung Centre of the Philippines, Philippine Health Centre and Philippine Children’s Medical Centre have become inaccessible and too expensive for ordinary Filipinos,” Mariano said.
“It is already unacceptable that the government is spending less for public health care than what is recommended by international standards. Aquino made it worse by promoting PPP program in healthcare that encourages the private sector do business and profit at the expense of the people’s access to affordable health care services,” said Mariano.