DOH allocates P400M for contraceptives

(Updated 11:41 p.m.) The Department of Health has allocated almost P400 million for its family health program, which would include the purchase of millions of contraceptive pills and condoms. Attending a Senate budget hearing on Wednesday, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that of their P931-million budget for the family health program, which is one of their priority projects for 2011, P400 million would be used to purchase birth control pills, injectables, condoms, and cycle beads. Ona said that P280 million of the P400-million budget for family planning would be used to buy contraceptive pills; P100 million for injectibles; and P8 million for condoms. He did not mention, however, how much would be spent for cycle beads, which are rings of colored beads that help a woman keep track of her fertile and non-fertile days. Ona said the P8-million budget would probably be able to buy two million condoms. He noted, however, that the DOH will only give out condoms to couples who request for it. Still, Ona said the DOH would still promote natural family planning methods and that the purchased condoms would also be used in the government's campaign against HIV/AIDS. Earlier this year, the DOH earned the ire of the Catholic Church when it distributed condoms on Valentine’s Day in a bid to supposedly raise awareness about AIDS. Several prelates called the act "immoral" which might be misunderstood as the government advocating sexual licentiousness. (See: Bishops claim condoms are porous, dare Cabral to debate)
RH bill concept But Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said he plans to propose the slashing of the P400-million allocation, saying he doesn't want it to seem that the Senate has already accepted the concept of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. "We just don't want the implication that we have already accepted that policy here since this is going to be debated," Enrile told reporters in an interview on Wednesday. He likewise noted that the P400 million can be used for other things, like the augmentation of the needs of some hospitals. Senator Vicente Sotto III, for his part, said the DOH should not distribute contraceptives only to control the country’s ballooning population, which he described as a “myth." “If you are pushing for responsible parenthood and family planning, that’s good. But if it’s for population control, I will definitely be objecting," he said during the budget hearing. The DOH has a proposed budget of P32.7 billion for 2011, which would be allocated to 12 priority programs, activities, and projects similar to the health family program. Included in these 12 are:

• Health facilities enhancement
• Subsidy for the health insurance premium payment of indigent families to the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP);
• Expanded program on immunization;
• Provision for potable water supply;
• Tuberculosis control;
• National Pharmaceutical Policy Development including provision of drugs and medicines, medical and dental supplies to make affordable quality drugs available;
• Elimination of diseases identified as public health threat;
• Women's health, development of subspecialty capabilities, help for Catubig Agricultural Advancement Project;
• Health System Development Program including policy support;
• Other infectious diseases and emerging diseases; and
• Health Emergency Management including provision for emergency drugs and supplies.

— RSJ/JV, GMANews.TV