Health budget in Cebu City cut by P140M
By Jujemay G. Awit, SunStar.com.ph
Wednesday, January 25, 2012

 CEBU CITY – The Cebu City Health Department (CHD) is the second City Hall department to complain that the slash in the 2012 budget will gravely affect their daily operations.

Department head Dr. Stella Ygoña presented to reporters Tuesday how services of the CHD will be affected by the reduction of the budget for field services, from the proposed P278.9 million to P138.9 million.

“With the minimal budget, we will really have a hard time so we will just have to focus on prevention and education,” said Ygoña.

She has also instructed barangay health workers to inform barangay captains about the slashed budget, in case the village chiefs complain about the insufficient medicines in the barangay health centers.

The health department’s maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) budget for field services was reduced to P23.3 million from the proposed P163.4 million.

The item that was greatly reduced was for drugs and medicines. CHD proposed P133 million but only P20 million was approved.

Ygoña explained that in arriving at the “ideal” P133-million proposal, they were hoping to serve majority of the population.

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