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1st International Activity for Health – Kobe University

STATE OF THE 

PHILIPPINE HEALTH
SYSTEM

Dr. Vachel Gay V. Paller and Renz L. Salumbre
Institute of Biological Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
University of the Philippines Los Baños

August 29, 2009

Health Status

Population: 83, 558, 700

Life Expectancy: 70.5 years

Crude Birth Rate: 20. 5

Total Fertility Rate: 3.5

Crude Death Rate: 4.8

Infant Death Rate: 13.2

Maternal Death Rate: 1.1

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Leading Causes of Morbidity (2007)

1
Acute lower respiratory tract infection, pneumonia

2
Acute watery diarrhea

3
Bronchitis

4
Hypertension

5
Influenza

6
Tuberculosis (respiratory)

7
Diseases of the heart

8
Dengue fever

9
Malaria

10
Chicken pox

Source: Department of Health, 2008

Source: Department of Health, 2008

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The Philippine Health System

•  Dual System

•  Republic Act 7160 and Local Government Code of 1991

•  Devolution of health services

•  Department of Health and Local Government Units

Tertiary
National

Health Services

Regional and District

Secondary
Health Services

Rural Health Units and

Primary
Barangay Health Station

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Issues and Challenges

•  Accessibility
and quality of health products, facilities and
services (DOH, 2008)

•  Geographic and socioeconomic inequity

•  Three General Issues (Ong, 2002)

•  Decreasing Health Workforce

•  High cost of drugs

•  Low budget and priority for health

Health Workforce

•  1 physician for 880 patients

•  3,500 doctors left the country as nurses

•  4,000 doctors enrolled in nursing schools

•  1 nurse for 235 patients

•  1 dentist for 1,800 patients

•  1 pharmacist for 1,664 people

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Health Workforce

•  Massive and uncontrolled migration

•  Brain drain and care drain

•  Where the grass is greener

•  Resulted to lack of health workers in the rural areas

•  Specialists are usually concentrated in the urban areas

High Cost of Drugs

•  Local
drug prices are more expensive than in Canada and
other neighboring countries

•  Market is dominated by high-priced branded medicines

•  Only 15-20% market share by generic medicines

•  Drug distribution mainly depends on private sector

•  85% of drugs are sold by private pharmacies

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Low Priority for Health

•  The health sector is financed inadequately

•  3.0-3.4% of the GNP allocated for the health sector

•  Non-visible commodity

•  Healthcare financing mostly reserved for hospital-based

services

•  Notenough financial backing for preventive and promotive

health services

Low Priority for Health

•  Low investment in health research and development

•  Low social health insurance benefit spending

•  Failure to identify the targeted community