gabriela solon: healthcare for a fee kills women, children

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan today joined women and mothers in a dialogue with Department of Health officials in airing their concern over the increased inaccessibility of healthcare for the majority of Filipino women and their families.

“The Aquino government’s thrust to increase private sector and multinational participation in the public health sector poses a grave threat to women and children. Private businesses and multinationals are out to make millions of pesos in profit over what should be a basic social service that the government is mandated and duty-bound to give to its people,” said Ilagan.

The Gabriela solon said the Aquino government’s proposals to corporatize government hospitals and funnel government funds to Philhealth while increasing the cost of Philhealth premium payments instead of increasing government spending for primary healthcare services is “plain and simple abandonment of its obligation to the people.”

Ilagan further said that Aquino’s abandonment of healthcare exacerbates the worsening situation of poverty and joblessness. “President Aquino’s healthcare policy, kowtowing primarily on the interests of multinationals and private businesses is a prescription for unrest and gives women no other choice but to protest.”#