Chapter 2 The Health Care Delivery

System

A health care system is the totality of services offered by all health disciplines.
Previously, the major purpose of a health care system was to provide care to people who were ill
or injured. However, with the increasing awareness of health promotion, illness prevention and
levels of wellness, healthcare systems are changing (Berman, Snyder & Frandsen, 2016).

Learning Objectives
After this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Discuss how the World Health Organization (WHO) affects health issues in the
Philippines;
2. List the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets of the health-related
SDGs.
3. Describe the Philippine Health Care Delivery System.
4. Explain how the Department of Health (DOH) provides health leadership in the
Philippines.

LESSON 1 World Health Organization

Health System

• A health system consists of all organizations, people and actions whose primary intent is
to promote, restore or maintain health.
• Six building blocks or components (WHO, 2007):
a) service delivery
b) health workforce
c) information
d) medical products, vaccines and technologies
e) financing;
f) leadership and governance or stewardship

World Health Organization

• Provides the environment that facilitates cooperation and sharing of resources to promote
and protect health and to resolve health problems and alleviate their effects
• WHO constitution came into force on April 7, 1948 (World Health Day)
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• 147 country offices and 6 world regional offices
WHO Core Functions
Objective: the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health (WHO, 2006)
1. Provide leadership and engage in partnerships on matters of health
2. Shape research agenda and promote knowledge
• 5 goals: Capacity, Priorities, Standards, Translation and Organization
3. Set and monitor standards
4. Provide technical support, catalyze change and build sustainable capacity

8 Millennium Development Goals

• Resulted from Millennium Summit – Sept. 6-8, 2000
• Collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at
the global level
• Reduce extreme poverty and achieve seven other targets by 2015

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality. Target: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-
five mortality rate.
5. Improve maternal health.
a) Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio; and
b) Achieve universal access to reproductive health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Targets:
a) Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS;
b) Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who
need it; and
c) Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major
diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
8. Develop a global partnership

Sustainable Development Goals

 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born at the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The objective was to
produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic
challenges facing our world.

The SDGs replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which started a
global effort in 2000 to tackle the indignity of poverty. The MDGs established measurable,
universally agreed objectives for tackling extreme poverty and hunger, preventing deadly
diseases, and expanding primary education to all children, among other development
priorities.

For 15 years, the MDGs drove progress  in several important areas: reducing income
poverty, providing much needed access to water and sanitation, driving down child mortality
and drastically improving maternal health. They also kick-started a global movement for free
primary education, inspiring countries to invest in their future generations. Most
significantly, the MDGs made huge strides in combatting HIV/AIDS and other treatable
diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

In September 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also known
as Global Goals. It is a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that
all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. Building on the principle of “leaving no one
behind”, the new Agenda emphasizes a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development
for all.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

GOAL 1: No Poverty
GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
GOAL 4: Quality Education
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
GOAL 13: Climate Action
GOAL 14: Life Below Water
GOAL 15: Life on Land
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

The 17 SDGs are integrated-that is, they recognize that action in one area will affect
outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental
sustainability.
 Through the pledge to Leave NO One Behind, countries have committed to fast-track
progress for those furthest behind first. Everyone is needed to reach these ambitious targets. The
creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to
achieve the SDGs in every context (United Nations Development Programme, 2020).

Activity # 2
(Lecture)
Case Analysis

Looking into the Healthcare Delivery System globally and locally, go to WHO and DOH

website, choose one current health topics, news, data, events or publications.

Make an individual case analysis using our standard format.

You will be graded using rubrics.

Submission of output will be done through myLPU portal.

 LESSON 2 Philippine Department of Health

Department of Health (DOH)

Vision
Filipinos are among the healthiest people in Southeast Asia by 2022, and Asia by 2040.
 
Mission
To lead the country in the development of a productive, resilient, equitable and people-centered
health system.

Definition
The totality of all policies, facilities, equipment’s, products, human resources and services
which address the health needs problems and concerns of the people. It is large, complex,
multi-level and multi-disciplinary.
Health Sectors
 Government Sectors
 Non-Government Sectors
 Private Sectors

Government: Department of Health and Local Government Units (LGU)

- Local Government Code (R.A. 7160), Devolution: LGUs should meet the
priority needs of their communities by providing basic health services
Private: for-profit and non-profit agencies
- provides all levels of services and accounts for a large segment of health
service providers in the country

5 Major Functions:
2. Ensure equal access to basic health services
3. Ensure formulation of national policies for proper division of labor and proper
coordination of operations among the government agency jurisdictions
4. Ensure a minimum level of implementation nationwide of services regarded as
public health goods
5. Plan and establish arrangements for the public health systems to achieve
economies of scale
6. Maintain a medium of regulations and standards to protect consumers and guide
providers
 Primary Strategies to Achieve Health Goals

1. Support for health goal

2. Assurance of health care
3. Increasing investment for PHC
4. Development of National Standard

Milestone in Health Care Delivery System

RA 1082 – RHU Act

RA 1891 – Strengthen Health Services
PD 568 – Restructuring HCDS
RA 7160 – LGU Code

Levels of Health Care Delivery

Broad classification for Hospitals

– General: services for all kinds of illnesses, injuries, or deformities
– Specialty: services for a particular disease or condition or in one type of patient

Health Facility Classification

• Category A: Primary Care Facility

– first-contact health care facility
– Basic and emergency services
• Category B: Custodial Care Facility
– Long-term care; for chronic conditions
• Category C: Diagnostic/ Therapeutic
– For examination of body and specimen/ samples
– Laboratories, radiologic facilities
• Category D: Specialized Out-Patient
– For highly-specialized procedures
– Example: dialysis clinics, chemo clinics

Rural Health Unit

• ‘Health Center’, primary level health facility

• Focus: Preventive and Promotive
• RHU to catchment population ratio
– 1 RHU: 20,000 Population (DOH, 2009)
• Barangay Health Station (BHS)
– First-contact facility that offers basic services at barangay level
– Satellite station of RHU and manned by Barangay Health Workers (BHW) under
Rural Health Midwife
Rural Health Unit Personnel

• Municipal Health Officer (MHO)

• Public Health Nurse (PHN)
• Rural Health Midwife
– 1 RHM: 5,000 population
• Rural Sanitation Inspector
• Barangay Health Workers
– R.A. 7883 or the Barangay Health Workers' Benefit and Incentives Act entitles
them to hazard and subsistence allowances and other benefits
– 1 BHW: 20 households

Local Health Boards

• Chairman: Provincial Governor or Mayor

• Vice-Chairman: Provincial/City/Municipal Health Officer
• Members: chairman of the committee on health of the Sanggunian, a representative from
the private sector or NGO, and the DOH
• The functions of local health boards are:
– Propose to the Sanggunian annual budgetary allocations for the operation and
maintenance of health facilities and services
– Serve as an advisory committee on health matters; and
– Create committees which shall advise local health agencies

Health Referral System

• A referral is a set of activities undertaken by a health care provider or facility in

response to its inability to provide the necessary health intervention for a patient
• May be:
– Internal – occurring within the facility from one personnel to another
– External - movement from one health facility to another; maybe vertical (higher
level of health facility) or horizontal (different catchment)

Inter-local Health Zone

• Based on WHO concept of ‘Health District’

• An ILHZ has a defined catchment population within a defined geographical area.
• Has a central or core referral hospital and a number of primary level facilities
• Components:
– People
– Boundaries
– Health facilities
– Health Workers
Philippine Health Agenda 2010-2022

https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/basic-page/Philippine%20Health%20Agenda_Dec1_1.pdf

LESSON 3 Primary Health Care (PHC)

Introduction
Primary Health Care (PHC) is an essential health care made universally acceptable to
individuals and families in the community by means acceptable to them through their full
participation and at a cost that the community and country and can afford at every stage of
development.

History
A brief history of Primary Health Care is outlined below:

 May 1977. The 30th World Health Assembly adopted resolution which decided that
the main social target of governments and of WHO should be the attainment by all the
people of the world by the year 2000 a level of health that will permit them to lead a
socially and economically productive life.
 September 6-12, 1978. International Conference in PHC was held in this year at
Alma Ata, USSR (Russia)
  October 19, 1979. The President of the Philippines (Ferdinand Marcos) issued Letter
of Instruction (LOI) 949 which mandated the then Ministry of Health to adopt PHC as
an approach towards design, development, and implementation of programs which
focus health development at the community level.

Alma Ata Declaration

The Declaration of Alma-Ata was adopted at the International Conference on Primary
Health Care (PHC), Almaty (formerly Alma-Ata), Kazakhstan (formerly Kazakh Soviet Socialist
Republic), 6-12 September 1978.
Eight essential elements based on the Alma Ata on PHC: An essential health care based
on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made
universally, accessible to individuals and families in the community by means of acceptable to
them, through their full participation and at a cost that community and country can afford to
maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination.

1. Health Education
2. Treatment of Locally Endemic Diseases
3. Expanded Program on Immunization
4. Maternal and Child Health
5. Provision of Essential Drugs
6. Nutrition
7. Treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases
8. Safe water and good waste disposal

Definition
The WHO defines Primary Health Care an essential health care made universally acceptable to
individuals and families in the community by means acceptable to them through their full
participation and at a cost that the community and country and afford at every stage of
development.

Mission
To strengthen the health care system by increasing opportunities and supporting the conditions
wherein people will manage their own health care.

Goals
The ultimate goal of primary health care is better health for all. WHO has identified five key
elements to achieving that goal:

 Reducing exclusion and social disparities in health (universal coverage reforms);

 Organizing health services around people’s needs and expectations (service delivery
reforms);
  Integrating health into all sectors (public policy reforms);
 Pursuing collaborative models of policy dialogue (leadership reforms); and
 Increasing stakeholder participation.

Key Strategy to Achieve the Goal: 

 Partnership with and Empowerment of the people – permeate as the core strategy in the
effective provision of essential health services that are community based, accessible,
acceptable, and sustainable, at a cost, which the community and the government can afford.

Rationale for Adopting Primary Health Care 

 Magnitude of Health Problems
 Inadequate and unequal distribution of health resources
 Increasing cost of medical care
 Isolation of health care activities from other development activities

Objectives

1. Improvement in the level of health care of the community

2. Favorable population growth structure
3. Reduction in the prevalence of preventable, communicable and other disease.
4. Reduction in morbidity and mortality rates especially among infants and children.
5. Extension of essential health services with priority given to the underserved sectors.
6. Improvement in basic sanitation
7. Development of the capability of the community aimed at self- reliance.
8. Maximizing the contribution of the other sectors for the social and economic
development of the community.

Two Levels of Primary Health Care Workers

1. Barangay Health Workers – trained community health workers or health auxiliary

volunteers or traditional birth attendants or healers.
2. Intermediate level health workers- include the Public Health Nurse, Rural Sanitary
Inspector and midwives.

Four Cornerstones/Pillars in Primary Health Care 

1. Active Community Participation

2. Intra and Inter-sectoral Linkages
3. Use of Appropriate Technology
4. Support mechanism made available
Elements of Primary Health Care

The following are the eight (8) essential elements of primary health care:

1. Education for Health 

This is one of the potent methodologies for information dissemination. It promotes the
partnership of both the family members and health workers in the promotion of health as well as
prevention of illness.

2. Locally Endemic Disease Control

The control of endemic disease focuses on the prevention of its occurrence to reduce
morbidity rate. Example Malaria Control and Schistosomiasis Control

3. Expanded Program on Immunization

This program exists to control the occurrence of preventable illnesses especially of

children below 6 years old. Immunizations on poliomyelitis, measles, tetanus, diphtheria and
other preventable disease are given for free by the government and ongoing program of the DOH

4. Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning

The mother and child are the most delicate members of the community. So the protection
of the mother and child to illness and other risks would ensure good health for the community.
The goal of Family Planning includes spacing of children and responsible parenthood.

5. Environmental Sanitation and Promotion of Safe Water Supply

Environmental Sanitation is defined as the study of all factors in the man’s environment,
which exercise or may exercise deleterious effect on his well-being and survival. Water is a basic
need for life and one factor in man’s environment. Water is necessary for the maintenance of
healthy lifestyle. Safe Water and Sanitation is necessary for basic promotion of health.

6. Nutrition and Promotion of Adequate Food Supply

One basic need of the family is food. And if food is properly prepared then one may be
assured healthy family. There are many food resources found in the communities but because of
faulty preparation and lack of knowledge regarding proper food planning, Malnutrition is one of
the problems that we have in the country.

7. Treatment of Communicable Diseases and Common Illness

The diseases spread through direct contact pose a great risk to those who can be
infected. Tuberculosis is one of the communicable diseases continuously occupies the top ten
causes of death. Most communicable diseases are also preventable. The Government focuses on
the prevention, control and treatment of these illnesses.

8. Supply of Essential Drugs

This focuses on the information campaign on the utilization and acquisition of drugs. In
response to this campaign, the GENERIC ACT of the Philippines is enacted. It includes the
following drugs: Cotrimoxazole, Paracetamol, Amoxycillin, Oresol, Nifedipine, Rifampicin,
INH (isoniazid) and Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol, Streptomycin, Albendazole, Quinine

Major Strategies
1. Elevating health to a comprehensive and sustained national effort

Attaining health for all Filipinos will require expanding participation in health and
health-related programs whether as service provider or beneficiary. Empowerment to
parents, families and communities to make decisions of their health is the desired
outcome.

Advocacy must be directed to national and local policy making to elicit support
and commitment to major health concerns through legislations, budgetary and logistical
considerations.

2. Promoting and supporting community managed health care

The health in the hands of the people brings the government closest to the

people. It necessitates a process of capacity building of communities and organization to
plan, implement and evaluate health programs at their levels.

3. Increasing efficiency in health sector 

Using appropriate technology will make services and resources required for

their delivery, effective, affordable, accessible and culturally acceptable.

The development of human resources must correspond to the actual needs of the
nation and the policies it upholds such as PHC.
 The Department of Health (DOH) continue to support and assist both public and
private institutions particularly in faculty development, enhancement of relevant curricula
and development of standard teaching materials.

4. Advancing essential national health research

Essential National Health Research (ENHR) is an integrated strategy for

organizing and managing research using intersectoral, multi-disciplinary and scientific
approach to health programming and delivery.

Principles of Primary Health Care

Primary health care is run with the following principles:

1. 4 A’s = Accessibility, Availability, Affordability and Acceptability, Appropriateness of

health services.

The health services should be present where the supposed recipients are. They should
make use of the available resources within the community, wherein the focus would be more
on health promotion and prevention of illness.

2. Community Participation

Community participation is the heart and soul of primary health care.

3. People are the center, object and subject of development.

 Thus, the success of any undertaking that aims at serving the people is dependent on
people’s participation at all levels of decision-making; planning, implementing,
monitoring and evaluating. Any undertaking must also be based on the people’s needs
and problems (PCF, 1990)
 Part of the people’s participation is the partnership between the community and the
agencies found in the community; social mobilization and decentralization.
 In general, health work should start from where the people are and building on what
they have. Example: Scheduling of Barangay Health Workers in the health center

Barriers of Community Involvement

1. Lack of motivation
2. Attitude
3. Resistance to change
4. Dependence on the part of community people
 5. Lack of managerial skills

4. Self-reliance

Through community participation and cohesiveness of people’s organization they can

generate support for health care through social mobilization, networking and mobilization of
local resources. Leadership and management skills should be developed among these people.
Existence of sustained health care facilities managed by the people is some of the major
indicators that the community is leading to self-reliance.

5. Partnership between the community and the health agencies in the provision of quality
of life.

Providing linkages between the government and the non-government organization and
people’s organization.

6. Recognition of interrelationship between the health and development

 Health is defined as not merely the absence of disease. Neither is it only a state of
physical and mental well-being. Health being a social phenomenon recognizes the
interplay of political, socio-cultural and economic factors as its determinant. Good
Health, therefore, is manifested by the progressive improvements in the living
conditions and quality of life enjoyed by the community residents
 Development is the quest for an improved quality of life for all. Development is
multidimensional. It has political, social, cultural, institutional and environmental
dimensions (Gonzales 1994). Therefore, it is measured by the ability of people to
satisfy their basic needs.

7. Social Mobilization

It enhances people’s participation or governance, support system provided by the

government, networking and developing secondary leaders.

8. Decentralization

This ensures empowerment and that empowerment can only be facilitated if the
administrative structure provides local level political structures with more substantive
responsibilities for development initiators. This also facilities proper allocation of budgetary
resources.
Elements of Primary Health Care

1. Education for Health

Is one of the potent methodologies for information dissemination. It promotes the
partnership of both the family members and health workers in the promotion of health as
well as prevention of illness.
2. Locally Endemic Disease Control
The control of endemic disease focuses on the prevention of its occurrence to reduce
morbidity rate. Example Malaria Control and Schistosomiasis Control
3. Expanded Program on Immunization
This program exists to control the occurrence of preventable illnesses especially of
children below 6 years old. Immunizations on poliomyelitis, measles, tetanus, diphtheria
and other preventable disease are given for free by the government and ongoing program
of the DOH
4. Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning
The mother and child are the most delicate members of the community. So the
protection of the mother and child to illness and other risks would ensure good health for
the community. The goal of Family Planning includes spacing of children and
responsible parenthood.
5. Environmental Sanitation and Promotion of Safe Water Supply
Environmental Sanitation is defined as the study of all factors in the man’s
environment, which exercise or may exercise deleterious effect on his well-being and
survival. Water is a basic need for life and one factor in man’s environment. Water is
necessary for the maintenance of healthy lifestyle. Safe Water and Sanitation is necessary
for basic promotion of health.
6. Nutrition and Promotion of Adequate Food Supply
One basic need of the family is food. And if food is properly prepared then one may be
assured healthy family. There are many food resources found in the communities but
because of faulty preparation and lack of knowledge regarding proper food planning,
Malnutrition is one of the problems that we have in the country.
7. Treatment of Communicable Diseases and Common Illness
The diseases spread through direct contact pose a great risk to those who can be
infected. Tuberculosis is one of the communicable diseases continuously occupies the top
ten causes of death. Most communicable diseases are also preventable. The Government
focuses on the prevention, control and treatment of these illnesses.
8. Supply of Essential Drugs
This focuses on the information campaign on the utilization and acquisition of drugs.
In response to this campaign, the GENERIC ACT of the Philippines is enacted. It
includes the following drugs: Cotrimoxazole, Paracetamol, Amoxycillin, Oresol,
Nifedipine, Rifampicin, INH (isoniazid) and Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol, Streptomycin,
Albendazole, Quinine
Major Strategies of Primary Health Care
1. Elevating Health to a Comprehensive and Sustained National Effort.
 Attaining Health for all Filipino will require expanding participation in health and health
related programs whether as service provider or beneficiary. Empowerment to parents,
families and communities to make decisions of their health is really the desired outcome.
 Advocacy must be directed to National and Local policy making to elicit support and
commitment to major health concerns through legislations, budgetary and logistical
considerations.
2. Promoting and Supporting Community Managed Health Care
 The health in the hands of the people brings the government closest to the people. It
necessitates a process of capacity building of communities and organization to plan,
implement and evaluate health programs at their levels.
3. Increasing Efficiencies in the Health Sector
 Using appropriate technology will make services and resources required for their delivery,
effective, affordable, accessible and culturally acceptable. The development of human
resources must correspond to the actual needs of the nation and the policies it upholds such
as PHC. The DOH will continue to support and assist both public and private institutions
particularly in faculty development, enhancement of relevant curricula and development of
standard teaching materials.
4. Advancing Essential National Health Research
 Essential National Health Research (ENHR) is an integrated strategy for organizing and
managing research using intersectoral, multi-disciplinary and scientific approach to health
programming and delivery.

Activity # 3
(Skills)
Journal Reading

Directions: Relative to Primary Health Care, look for journal (one only) focusing on the elements

of Primary Health Care (PHC).

 LESSON 4 Levels of Prevention

Levels of Prevention

Prevention, as it relates to health, is really about avoiding disease before it starts. It has been
defined as the plans for, and the measures taken, to prevent the onset of a disease or other health
problem before the occurrence of the undesirable health event. There are three distinct levels of
prevention.

Three Levels of Health Promotion/Disease Prevention

Primary prevention—those preventive measures that prevent the onset of illness or injury
before the disease process begins.
 Examples include immunization and taking regular exercise.
Primary prevention includes those preventive measures that come before the onset of
illness or injury and before the disease process begins. Examples include immunization and
taking regular exercise to prevent health problems developing in the future.
Secondary prevention—those preventive measures that lead to early diagnosis and prompt
treatment of a disease, illness or injury to prevent more severe problems developing. Here health
educators such as Health Extension Practitioners can help individuals acquire the skills of
detecting diseases in their early stages.
 Examples include screening for high blood pressure and breast self-examination.
At the secondary level, you could educate people to visit their local health center when
they experience symptoms of illness, such as fever, so they can get early treatment for their
health problems.
Secondary prevention includes those preventive measures that lead to early diagnosis and
prompt treatment of a disease, illness or injury. This should limit disability, impairment or
dependency and prevent more severe health problems developing in the future.
Tertiary prevention—those preventive measures aimed at rehabilitation following significant
illness. At this level health services workers can work to retrain, re-educate and rehabilitate
people who have already developed an impairment or disability.

Read the list of the three levels of prevention again. Think about your experience of health
education, whether as an educator or recipient of health education.

 How do you think health education can help with the prevention of disease?
 Do you think it will operate at all these levels?
  Note an example of possible health education interventions at each level where you think
health education can be applied.
At the tertiary level, you could educate people to take their medication appropriately and
find ways of working towards rehabilitation from significant illness or disability.
Tertiary prevention includes those preventive measures aimed at rehabilitation following
significant illness. At this level health educators work to retrain, re-educate and rehabilitate the
individual who has already had an impairment or disability.
Health Education can be applied at all three levels of disease prevention and can be of great
help in maximizing the gains from preventive behavior.
 For example, at the primary prevention level — you could educate people to practice some
of the preventive behaviors, such as having a balanced diet so that they can protect
themselves from developing diseases in the future.

LESSON 5 Universal Health Care (UHC)

Health Sector Reform: Universal Health Care

Kalusugan Pangkalahatan/Aquino Health Agenda (Administrative Order 2010-0036)

UHC was built upon the strategies of two previous platforms of reform: the initial Health
Sector Reform Agenda (1999-2004) and FOURmula One (F1) for Health (2005-2010). UHC is
planned for implementation until 2016 (DOH, 2010).

Rationale

Health sector reforms are intended to bring about equity in health service delivery.
Survey data show that this has not been achieved as of yet, despite health sector reforms since
1999. Department of Health and Philhealth review highlighted the need to improve health-related
financial risk protection among Filipinos. More importantly, Philhealth benefit delivery was
found to be lowest among the target population-the poorest quintile. The concern on inequitable
access to health resources has not been resolved (DOH, 2010 as cited by Famorca, Nies &
McEwen).
Neglect of public hospitals and health facilities due to inadequate health budgets has been
observed. As of October 2010, a total of 892 RHUs and 99 government hospitals had yet to
qualify for accreditation by Philhealth. Data show that the poorest of the population are the main
users of government health facilities. This means that the deterioration and poor quality of many
government health facilities is particularly disadvantageous to the poor who needs the services
the most (DOH, 2010 as cited by Famorca, Nies & McEwen).
Lastly, renewed efforts to achieve health related MDG’s are in order. The MDG 4 target
is to reduce maternal mortality rate from 209 maternal deaths /100,000 live births in 1990 to 52
deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015 (NEDA, 2010).
 To address this challenge, UHC (Kalusugan Pangkalahatan) was launched through
Administrative Order 2010-0036 (DOH, 2010 as cited by Famorca, Nies & McEwen).

Goal and Objectives

Achieve:
1) Better health outcomes
2) Sustained health financing, and
3) A responsive health system by ensuring equitable access to affordable health care

3 Strategic Thrusts
1) Financial risk protection
2) Improved access to quality hospitals and health care facilities
3) Attainment of the health related MDGs

To achieve the three strategic thrusts, six strategic instruments shall be optimized.
1. Health financing
2. Service delivery
3. Policy, standards and regulation
4. Governance for health
5. Human resources for health
6. Health information

The Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization (WHO), and key
stakeholders are coming together to highlight the need to strengthen primary health care as the
foundation for the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act (WHO, 2019).
Year 2019 is the year’s global celebration for World Health Day, which centers on the
theme of universal health coverage, with a focus on primary health care. To date, 6.4 million
Filipinos are paying more than 10% of their income on health care, a level that WHO considers
potentially catastrophic. The expense of caring for one person with a major or long-term illness
can push entire families into a cycle of poverty which can be difficult to escape.

“We know that the fairest and most affordable path to universal health coverage is
primary health care,” said WHO Representative in the Philippines Dr Gundo Weiler. “Primary
health care means multiple sectors working together to bring care closer to home, with the
involvement of the community. The UHC Act is just the beginning of our journey to health for
all Filipinos.”

The event convenes all parties that will be instrumental to the successful implementation
of UHC through robust primary health care, which includes government leaders, the health
sector, and several private sector groups. It also recognizes the individuals and groups that
supported the legislation of the UHC Act.

The event brings together members of the Senate, House of Representatives, local
governments, DOH, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and WHO.

“Collaboration is key to make Universal Health Care a success in the Philippines.

 The Department of Health is committed to engage with all relevant stakeholders in the
public and private sectors. Everybody must be onboard towards our vision of ‘health for all’. No
Filipino must be left behind,” said Health Secretary Dr Francisco Duque III.

In February 2019 President Rodrigo Duterte signed the UHC Act into law, which will
ensure that all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health care
goods and services and protected against financial risk.

Activity # 3
(Clinical)
Slogan Making Contest