The administration of President Arroyo has been accused by a lawmaker of neglecting the country’s healthcare system, which now resulted in the impending closure of some 200 state hospitals.

The government spending on health was pegged at P6.60 per Filipino per day based on the 2009 study of the IBON Foundation.

In a statement, Makabayan-Nacionalista senatorial bet Liza Maza said the planned closure of 200 government-run medical institutions is an indication of how the present administration has long abandoned the health care system in the country.

“Health, despite it being a supposedly basic service, remains a low priority of the Arroyo government. The amount spent for each Filipino cannot even sustain medication for diabetes,’’ Maza said, adding that “it is not just the 200 hospitals but the Philippine health care system that is shutting down.’’

Citing the 2010 budget deliberations in the Lower House, the Gabriela solon said the health department ranked only fifth in the list with a budget of P28.5 billion or more or less 2 percent of the total budget.

In 2009, the Department of Health (DoH) was also allocated an almost similar amount to implement its programs and services.