The bicameral conference committee report reconciling the divergent provisions under Congress bills aiming to establish better healthcare for the elderly has been ratified in the Senate on Tuesday, September 29.
The committee report sponsored by Senator Risa Hontiveros, containing a threshed-out version of Senate Bill No. 1509 and House Bill No. 6739, seeks to “build a comprehensive, integrated, coordinated, and sustainable system of geriatric care.”
“Under the reconciled measure, the national specialty center for geriatric health—to be known as the Philippine Geriatric Center—under the direct control and supervision of the Department of Health, will eventually serve as a national apex and coordinating center for geriatric health services,” she said during a regular Senate session on Tuesday.
With the construction of the Philippine Geriatric Center (PGC) facility yet to begin, the Evangelina Macaraeg-Macapagal Geriatric Health Specialty Center (EMMGHSC) will temporarily serve as the national specialty center for the elderly, Hontiveros said.
Once the facility has been completed and begins operations, the EMMGHSC will transition into a tertiary or specialized healthcare referral hub for the aged.
“Habang hindi pa ito ganap na naitatayo at nao-operationalize, the Evangelina Macaraeg-Macapagal Geriatric Health Specialty Center will serve as the national specialty center for geriatric care. Once the PGC becomes operational, the EMMGHSC will continue as a tertiary geriatric clinical referral hub with a formal referral and counter-referral system between the two institutions,” the senator explained.
Hontiveros added that the measure comes with a clear timetable. The PGC is to be completed and operational within five to seven years.
Moreover, the measure aims to strengthen coordination among key agencies by utilizing government databases for planning and by providing support and training to equip personnel for geriatric care and annual reporting to be overseen by Congress, Hontiveros added.
“Beyond these institutional arrangements, this measure is ultimately about our senior citizens. Gusto nating tiyakin na ang pagtanda ay hindi nangangahulugan ng pagkawala ng access sa dekalidad at espesiyalistang pangangalaga,” she said.
“Ang mas mahabang buhay ay dapat sabayan ng mas malusog, mas ligtas, at mas dignified na buhay,” she reasoned.
The measure, first introduced in the 18th Congress, was proposed in memory of senior citizens who passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Francisco G. Datol Jr., who died at the age of 71 after suffering acute respiratory distress in 2020.
