REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROVINCE OF EASTERN SAMAR

Borongan City, Eastern Samar 6800
(Contact No.)

Press Release/July 25, 2019

Universal Health Care (UHC) Implementation for the People of Eastern Samar:
A Guarantee in Providing a Full Range of High Quality Health Care Services

Borongan City – Having a strong advocacy towards health services, Gov. Ben Evardone
attended a meeting together with PhilHealth, DOH, Chief of Hospitals, Hospital owners,
Municipality Mayors and other groups in the Health Sector which was held at the PGO
Conference Hall, Provincial Capitol Building, Borongan, Eastern Samar last July 25, 2019.
The said meeting was about the implementation of Universal Health Care (UHC) in the
whole province for a better Health Care Service to the people of Eastern Samar especially
those who are greatly indeed of the service.

Universal Health Care (UHC) Act is a law which was officially signed by President Rodrigo
R. Duterte this year. The said law will guarantee an equitable access to quality and
affordable health care services for everyone. It will also automatically enroll Filipino
citizens into the National Health Insurance Program and expand PhilHealth coverage to
include free medical consultations and laboratory which will lower their medical expenses.

Amidst the important reforms that will be implemented over time include: automatic
enrollment of all Filipinos to PhilHealth – being entitled as the national purchaser for
health goods and services for individuals, such as medicines; improvement of health
facilities; responding to the gap of health workers all over the country; deliberate
engagement of the private sectors; and generating and intensifying new functions in DOH
to improve the delivery of health services.

Meanwhile, Gov. Ben Evardone has already started to visit a couple of Hospitals in the
province like Arteche and Oras for a consultative meeting to know all the necessities of the
hospitals in the province to insure a better Health Service to the people of Eastern Samar.
The Gov. will surely continue to visit other hospitals in the upcoming weeks as well.