RH Delay + Unhealthy 2013 Budget = EMERGENCY

“The approval of HB 6455 foretells the exacerbation of the Philippine health care system as the Aquino intends to spend no more than P1.10 per Filipino each day for health care services in 2013. Children are dying of easily preventable and curable illnesses like tuberculosis, bronchitis, pneumonia, dengue and diarrhea. Worse maternal mortality rate has increased from 162 for every 100,000 live births in 2006 to 221 in 2010 even as the continually increasing Conditional Cash Transfer budget supposedly aims to reduce maternal mortality,” declared Rep. Luz Ilagan as she joined women who trooped to the House of Representatives to press legislators to open the period of amendments for the RH Bill.

“Sa lumalalang kalagayan ng kalusugan ng mga maralitang kababaihan at bata, higit nilang kailangan ang libre angkop batayan at kagyat na mga serbisyong pangkalusugan. Pero paano pa nila ito mangyayari kung unti-unti nang ibinebenta at tinatalikuran ng pamahalaan ang pampublikong serbisyong pangkalusugan? Given this situation, the urgency of the passage of an RH bill minus the population control provisions is highlighted because these pro-poor sections will mandate the upgrading of healthcare facilities, the training of midwives and health workers and pro-bono services for indigents,” said Rep. Emmi De Jesus.

“It’s about time that we end the delaying tactics and proceed to the period of amendments. We need to work harder to make HB4244 more responsive to the needs of poor women and children by introducing amendments to the three incongruent provisions that drumbeat population control as the solution ot poverty,” added Ilagan.

“Napapanahon ang pagkilos na ito ng mga kababaihan dahil magsisilbi itong pabaon na paalala sa mga kongresista sa pagsasara ng Kongreso. Nararapat lang na harapin na ng mga kinatawan ng mamamayan ang pag-amyenda ng RH bill upang matugunan ang kalagayan ng mga maralitang kababaihan at bata, sa gitna ng kawalan ng akses sa libre, angkop at batayan na serbisyong kalusugan,” De Jesus added.

“Women need a national policy on a genuine, pro-poor and comprehensive reproductive health care minus the population control agenda. And it is the government’s responsibility to ensure the wellness of its people by providing these needs,” Ilagan ended. #