đź“·Coalition for People’s Right to Health | FB
The World Health Organization celebrates World Health Day today, 7 April with the theme “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures”. The People’s Health Movement Philippines and the Coalition for People’s Right to Health both assert that healthy beginnings and hopeful futures are founded on a public health care system that is free, comprehensive and progressive.
Where systemic inequalities persist, preventable causes of maternal mortality such as hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, sepsis, and complications from unsafe abortions contribute to 78 to 85 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births per 2023 estimates of the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department of Health. Despite the Universal Health Care Law and and the national health insurance program or Philhealth, Filipino households’ out-of-pocket payments for health care cornered 44.4 percent in 2023, slightly lower than the 44.6 percent in 2022.(1) Philhealth’s reimbursement rates or case rates fall far too short of actual hospital charges and fees which leaves patients or their families to storm heaven and earth to cover the difference out-of-pocket or scour (read: beg) offices of elected officials for medical assistance or guarantee letters which are ironically funded by taxpayers’ money. Higher costs of medical services and procedures, which has been hovering between 15 and 18 percent over the last three years, rose to 19.3 percent in 2024.(2) The average hospital bill in 2022 was PHP46,640–more than 3 times the national minimum
Meanwhile, public health facilities sorely lack the proper infrastructures, personnel and medicines to adequately serve mothers, their babies and the rest of the population. Out of the total 42,046 barangays in the entire country, there are only 23,144 Barangay Health Stations. However, not all of these public primary health clinics are able to provide much-needed health services to the communities. Many of these lack health personnel, supplies and equipment, or essential medicines. The national allotment for the Department of Health continues to be dangerously low even in the new administration. Despite strong public clamor for an increase in government funding for public health, all 119 million Filipinos were merely earmarked PHP4.58 each per day for their health in 2024. This year, this went up a bit to PHP5.01 per Filipino per day. The high cost of medicines remains as the greatest barrier to access for Filipinos.
The People’s Health Movement Philippines and the Coalition for People’s Right to Health believe that no Filipino should be forced to choose between medicine and meals, or between treatment and survival. The utmost responsibility in ensuring and realizing that everyone has a healthy head start and is confident that health inequalities are not the norm in the future lies in the hands of the Marcos Jr. administration in fulfilling the State’s mandate as enshrined in the Philippine Constitution and international covenants where it is a signatory. Corruption, inefficiency, and privatization of health services further erode trust in the system.
Thus, we put forward the following recommendations:
Strengthen the public health system that integrates all levels of the public health care system from the barangay up to the national level. Provide and ensure the provision of free health care and services to Filipinos in all levels of public health facilities.
Increase the health budget to at least an equivalent of 5% of the Gross Domestic Product.
Systematically address and reverse the privatization and devolution of essential health services.
Remove 12% VAT on all essential medicines and provide free medicines in all public health facilities.
Review the role of Philhealth and investigate corruption inside the system. Repeal the National Health Insurance Program through Republic Act (RA) 10606 or the National Health Insurance Act (NHIA) of 2013 and the Universal Health Care Law or Republic Act 11223.
Provide adequate salaries and benefits for all health workers in the public and private sectors.#
