THE Department of Health (DOH) assured lawmakers that there are ample funds to prepare for the emerging Covid-19 variants, including the procurement of updated vaccine doses to protect vulnerable Filipinos.
DOH Undersecretary Achilles Gerard Bravo made the assurance during the oversight hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations after Marikina City 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo expressed shock over a newspaper headline suggesting a lack of preparation to protect Filipinos from the new “FLIRT” variants driving a wave of infections worldwide.
During the hearing, Quimbo noted the DOH’s significant yet underutilized funds after a presentation of the agency’s budget utilization report.
She said various funding sources, such as the quick response fund and the communicable disease program, remain largely untapped.
Bravo confirmed the availability of funds, and assured the committee of the DOH’s readiness to adjust its budget.
“Madam chair, you are correct. So, what we will do is that we have so many funds at the DOH, even from the CONAP (Continuing Appropriations) in 2023 and the current. If there’s a need to provide something for the emerging Covid variant, we can always make some modifications within our budget,” he said.
“What we are doing right now is we are collating all the resources of DOH kung ilan ang savings at CONAP ng other programs, and then we will decide ano yung i-prioritize kasi ‘yung slow-moving appropriations, we are going to modify them and transfer them to fast-moving appropriations.” (PNA)
