NI NOEL ABUEL
Ipaglalaban ng isang kongresista ang pagbabalik sa P500 milyong pondo para magamit sa cancer patients sa susunod na taong national budget.
Sinabi ni House Deputy Minority Leader at Bagong Henerasyon party list Rep. Bernadette Herrera na naniniwala itong dapat na mananatili ang nasabing pondo dahil sa malaking tulong ito sa mga mahihirap.
“We will do everything in our power to make sure that the cancer assistance fund will be included in the final version of the 2023 national budget,” sabi ni Herrera.
“This financial assistance from the government will help defray treatment-related expenses for cancer patients who are facing financial challenges, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic that really brought them to their knees,” dagdag pa nito.
Sa pagdinig ng Kamara sa 2023 budget proposal ng Department of Health (DOH) inususisa ng kongresista kay DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, kung bakit hindi isinama ang cancer assistance fund sa National Expenditure Program (NEP) na isinumite ng Department of Budget and Management (DBM) sa Kongreso.
Ang assistance fund ay isang major component ng Republic Act 11215 o ang National Integrated Cancer Control (NICC) Act of 2019, na naglalayong bigyan ang mga cancer patients ng mas murang health care services.
Sinabi ni Vergeire na aapela ito sa House Committee on Appropriations na ibalik ang cancer assistance fund sa national budget sa susunod taon.
“I hope that this committee was able to hear that. Napakahalaga po nito for our cancer patients, so I hope maibalik po natin sa DOH ‘yong P500 million assistance na ‘yon for our cancer patients. Napakahirap po, ang dami pong lumalapit po sa atin. So, I hope we could consider that in this committee,” sabi nito.
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