SENATOR Win Gatchalian has raised concerns over nearly P15 billion worth of uncompleted or non-operational projects under the Department of Health (DOH), including so-called “haunted” super health centers.
He e described the centers as “haunted” because, despite having physical structures, they have long remained unused and unoccupied.
During the Senate Committee on Finance’s hearing on the proposed 2025 budget of the DOH and its attached agencies, Gatchalian cited the 2024 Commission on Audit (COA) report, which revealed that 123 projects worth P11.54 billion were not completed within the contract period.
Citing DOH data, Gatchalian added that of the 1,099 super health centers scheduled for construction from 2021 to 2024, 319 projects amounting to P3 billion remain either unfinished or non-functional.
“We will not allow haunted super health centers or unfinished projects to happen again. Everything under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program must be completed. Sayang ang pera, we’re talking about P15 billion,” said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance.
To address the issue of incomplete and non-operational DOH projects, Gatchalian is proposing a counterpart program in which the DOH and local government units (LGUs) would share resources for the construction and operationalization of health facilities.
