Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray Florence Reyes (File photo courtesy of Anakalusugan Party-list)
MANILA – A party-list lawmaker on Tuesday commended the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for earmarking around PHP2.1 billion under the 2023 budget of the Department of Health (DOH) for mental health programs.
Anakalusugan Rep. Ray Florence Reyes said next year's allocation for the government's mental health programs is a "huge mark-up" from last year's budget of PHP568.04 million.
“Mental health in our country is stigmatized, made worse by a meager annual budget. Mental health is one of our country’s under-resourced sectors. The appropriation earmarked by the Department of Health worth 2.1 billion pesos for next year could possibly change this," Reyes said.
He said the budget for next year could improve, create and provide more services for Filipinos suffering from mental health issues.
Reyes cited a study on the Philippines’ mental health situation by the National Center for Global Health and Medicine showing that government hospitals and the state health insurer only cover in-patient services.
He pointed out that outpatient cases suffering from mental health illnesses still cover 100 percent of treatment cost from their own pockets.
“It is greatly hoped that this budget increase can lessen the financial burden on our countrymen. This is surely a positive step towards the drive to break the stigma associated with mental illness, as it creates opportunities for improvement in officially funded health-centric priorities,” Reyes said.
The DOH said around 3.6 million Filipinos suffered mental disorders at the height of the pandemic. It is also the third most common disability in the country.
The country recorded the third highest rate of mental disorders per capita in the Western Pacific region. (PNA)
