Universal Health Care in the Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines is one of the countries that aim to develop a health care system that provides access to health for all its citizens. This paper presents the status of health reforms in the Philippines, particularly those relating to the attainment of Universal Health Care (UHC).  In describing and analyzing the present state of health care in the Philippines, the paper refers to key documents such as the Philippine Health System Review of the World Health Organization and the special issue on Universal Health Care published in the Philippine medical journal, Acta Medica Philippina, in 2010.

A huge disparity of health outcomes persists between a rich minority and a poor majority in the Philippines. The current government is committed to reducing these inequities through a universal healthcare scheme called Kalusugan Pangkalahatan, which involves addressing problems in the “six building blocks” of UHC: information systems, regulation, services delivery, human resources, financing, and governance, though many challenges remain. Universal Health Care addresses the problem of health inequity by improving access to services and financial protection. However, gaps in the six building blocks of health care must be addressed if the Philippines is to truly achieve “universal healthcare.”