In addition to improving bed capacity among Department of Health (DOH) hospitals, the Senate Bill 1226 or the proposed DOH Hospital Bed Capacity and Service Capability Rationalization Act of 2019, filed by Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, requires the DOH to provide Congress an annual report of hospitals with approved bed capacities, along with the necessary funding requirements.
The report will be the basis of Congress in including the funding requirements of the hospitals in the annual General Appropriations Act. The health department is also obliged to “develop the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan (PHFDP) to guide the modernization and development plans of all government health facilities, and in order to access capital outlay investment through the Health Facilities Enhancement Program of the DOH and other national government capital outlay investment mechanisms.”
The said bill is Senator Go’s initiative to further equip government hospitals in the country thus enabling better health care services especially in the face of a crisis.