Drilon asks DBM to resolve staffing problem in DOH

Sen. Franklin Drilon on Wednesday threatened to withhold the proposed 2012 budget of the Department of Health (DOH) if the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will not resolve the staffing problem within the health department. Health Secretary Enrique Ona, during Wednesday’s Senate finance committee hearing on the DOH’s proposed budget for 2012, said they need to fill up administrative and technical positions within the department. However, Drilon said the DBM disallowed the hiring of an estimated 4,000 administrative and technical positions in the DOH. “There is almost a criminal neglect. Right now, in all government hospitals, you will see a lack of staff. The problem, it turns out, is that the DBM would not allow filling up of positions in the DOH," he said. “I am asking the DBM that for the sake of our people, we cannot continue with this practice. This is something like a bureaucratic foul-up. I would like to see this being resolved in 30 to 60 days," he added. DBM representative Artemio Martinez confirmed that a freeze hiring is in place for administrative positions in the DOH, but he did not give a reason for such a policy. Drilon, however, said there should not be a problem because the DOH has a P1-billion allocation for unfilled positions in their department. He likewise said that there are around 287,000 nurses who are not employed in the nursing profession and who may be hired by the DOH to fill up their vacancies. The DOH's proposed budget for 2012 is P42.8 billion, which is a huge leap from its budget in 2011 P32.7 billion. Ona said that the department’s budget for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) was increased from P15.2 billion to P26.2 billion; personnel services from P7.7 billion to P7.6 billion; and capital outlay from P8.9 billion to P8.2 million.- KBK, GMA News