JOLO, Sulu (September 11) — Sulu Vice Governor Abdusakur Tan has urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to establish a dedicated national health fund for the island province, warning that gaps in financing, medical supplies and health workers continue to threaten access to basic care in remote communities.
Tan made the appeal during a meeting with Marcos at Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, Sept. 8, where Sulu officials sought stronger national government support for the province’s hospitals, rural health units and frontline medical services.
The proposed Special Health Fund would be designed around Sulu’s geographic and health-care needs, including the high cost of transporting patients, medicines and equipment across scattered islands.
For many residents, reaching a hospital can require long boat trips and additional expenses. Weather conditions, limited transport and the distance between communities can delay treatment and make routine health services difficult to sustain.
Tan also called for the direct release of operational funds to local health facilities, saying delays in the flow of money can disrupt the purchase of medicines, maintenance of equipment and delivery of essential services.
He sought a formal, multiyear health budget to give Sulu more predictable national government support. A stable funding mechanism, he said, would help the province retain and pay health workers on time, particularly those assigned to isolated island communities where staffing shortages are most acute.
The request comes as Sulu health facilities continue to face the combined pressures of limited resources, difficult geography and high operating costs. Without sustained funding, hospitals and rural health units may struggle to maintain basic services, stock essential medicines and respond to emergencies.
Tan also raised the need to address shortages of medical supplies and equipment, which can force patients to travel outside their communities or seek care elsewhere.
Beyond health care, Sulu officials discussed security, justice and governance reforms as the province adjusts to changes in its administrative status within the Bangsamoro region.
The meeting highlighted the urgency of ensuring that administrative changes do not further delay basic services in an island province where access to health care is already constrained by distance and transportation barriers.
Tan said he expects Marcos to issue follow-up instructions to concerned national government agencies on the proposed health funding mechanisms.
The proposals still require concrete budget allocations and implementing measures. For Sulu, officials say, the issue is not simply expanding health programs but ensuring that funds reach facilities quickly and consistently enough to keep services available across the islands.
