Seven Pillars for Universal Health Care I will focus on By Sen.

Benigno Aquino III

The Health Reform Agenda developed by the Aquino-Roxas Health Team, February 20 0 Health is a basic right enshrined in our Constitution. Sadly, our public health system is in a state of disrepair where many of our people suffer from a lack or absence of health ser ices. !oorer regions of the country " A#$$, %astern &isayas, $I$A#'!A, Bicol and (estern $indanao " ha e health indices that are fi e to si) times worse than $etro $anila, Cebu and *a ao where life e)pectancy from birth is o er +, years of age today ersus less than -, in those regions. .he key must be /ni ersal Health Care for all 0ilipinos. An Aquino Administration ows that e ery 0ilipino will ha e access to high quality health care that is1 %fficient %ffecti e 2uality Health Care Accessible %quitably distributed Adequately funded 0airly financed *irected in con3unction with an informed and empowered public /ni ersal Health Care will accelerate the attainment of the $illennium *e elopment 4oals, particularly for health1 $*4 5 61 #educing Child $ortality, $*4 5 71 Impro ing $aternal Health, $*4 5-1 Combat .B, malaria, HI&8AI*S. By 9,:-, the !hilippines is predicted to ha e a population of :,7 million at the present population growth rate. /ni ersal Health Care will include the promotion of responsible parenthood through adequate information and ser ices to all eligible 0ilipino women and men to impro e their knowledge and capacity to plan and pro ide for the health and happiness of their families.

/ni ersal Health Care must mean essential health ser ices, access to basic medicines, and appropriate health care a ailable to all regardless of income class, ethnicity or religion. .his system will be built on the following pillars.

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Universal coverage in health Insurance

0ifteen years ago, the ;ational Health Insurance <aw, which created !hilHealth =:>>7?, called for health insurance for all 0ilipinos by 9,:,. .oday, go ernment has fallen well short of this target by pro iding health insurance to only @+A of all 0ilipinos =;ational *emographic and Health Sur ey of 9,,+?. .o remedy this and to bring full co erage to all 0ilipinos, !hilhealth premiums for the poor will be subsidiBed by the national go ernment. I will allocate ! :7 billion to enroll the poorest -,A of the population e ery year. .his will ensure that the poorest municipalities will ha e access and equity to social health insurance. But I will demand that these freedCup <4/ funds be used to impro e local health facilities, pro ide incenti es to rural health personnel and deli er quality of health care at the community le el.

;4's, !'s and microCfinancing institutions will be harnessed to disseminate information in the community about !hilHealth and to ser e as mechanisms for partnerships with !hilHealth to attain uni ersal co erage.

.o ma)imiBe reach, !hilHealth will e)pand its outpatient benefits package to include the :, basic health ser ices for all 0ilipinos, and pro ide special health packages for marginaliBed groups such as indigenous peoples, public school children and teachers and residents of the fi e poorest areas of the !hilippines.

9.

Expanded Health Infrastructure

'ur health infrastructure needs a boost gi en the gaps in health facilities. Beginning at the barangay le el, we will fund 99,,,, more barangay health stations, @,,, more outpatient rural health units and at least :7, more district hospitals from an e)panded national health budget of at least !D7Billion a year o er the entire term of si)

years =to 9,:-?. =Current *'H budget for 9,:, is ! 9> billion, an additional ! 6- billion would suffice, which may be sourced from an impro ed ta) collection system and effecti e anticorruption measures.? At the same time, pri ate sector in estments in health will be encouraged. $echanisms to consolidate resources from the pri ate sector and o erseas de elopment assistance ='*A? from international de elopment partners will be instituted to boost the limited resources of go ernment in dealing with disaster preparedness, response and rehabilitation.

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Organization of the Health Services Sector

I will fully support the SectorCwide approach to health =S(Ap?8Health Sector #eform Agenda through $emoranda of Agreement with pro inces and cities as a strategic approach to local health system impro ement. .he national go ernment will assist <4/s in coming up with technically sound plans de eloped from the community le el to the pro inces. .hese plans will be supported by national and international funds and resources pooled nationally and used 3udiciously and transparently by local e)ecuti es.

I will generate more publicCpri ate partnerships in health that will sustain health ser ices impro ement particularly in pro inces and municipalities. Health ser ices that can be outsourced to the pri ate sector like management of public hospitals and deli ery of maternal and child health care ser ices will be encouraged. %)isting initiati es will be scaled up to include e)panding and impro ing community pharmacies =Botika ng Barangay, Botika Binhi, Health!lus? by linking them to !hilHealth reimbursementsE and e)pansion of !ublicC!ri ate $i)ed *'.S to impro e .B Control particularly among pri ate physicians. I will increase publicCpri ate in estments in water and sanitation, nutrition and immuniBation ser ices.

I will ensure quality of local health ser ices by impro ing public finance management with transparency, accountability and predictability in local budgeting from barangays to pro inces. I will require strict adherence to the go ernment procurement law =#A >:+6? to guarantee responsi e logistics and procurement system that brings medicines and supplies to hospitals and clinics on time.

I will work with all the professional medical associations, including specialty societies to fill in the gaps in health care especially in the poorest pro inces. .he

municipal health officers and the family and community physicians will be designated as gateCkeepers of a uni ersal health care system in the country. I will mobiliBe ci il society organiBations =CS's?, peopleFs organiBations =!os? and community based groups towards greater co erage of pre enti e, promoti e and curati e health and demand better accountability in the health sector.

6.

Health Financing

I will establish a ;ational Health *e elopment 0und on top of the e)isting *'H budget =!9> billion for 9,:,? as a mechanism for le eraging the national health budget to increase pri ate in estment in health to e)pand the system. .he 0und should ha e a capitaliBation of at least ! 6- Billion annually for the ne)t - years. .he breakdown of the ;ational Health *e elopment 0und is as follows1 !:, billion for !hilHealth premium for the poorest -,A of the population =::million families? on top of the e)isting ! 6 billion as pro ided by the 4eneral Appropriations ActE !:, billion for health infrastructure consisting of D,,,, new barangay health stations, :,,,, new rural health units, and 7, district hospitalsE !:, billion for impro ing personnel salaries and facilities1 ! @ billion to augment the $agna Carta benefits of de ol ed health workers =9,A of de ol ed health workersF salaries? and !D billion for the salaries of additional doctors =@,,,,?, nurses =@,,,,?, midwi es =99,,,,? and other health workers for the additional facilities, and ! : billion for disaster preparedness and management of health facilitiesE and !:7billion for the toll manufacture of :,, essential pharmaceutical products for clinics and referral hospitals. 7. Human esources for Health

'ur health care system can only be as good as our public health workers. 0ar too many of them work at le els that gi e them few benefits and do not compensate them for the ser ice they perform. 'ur doctors, nurses and health workers, in general, and our local go ernments ha e asked that the pro isions of the $agna Carta for !ublic Health (orkers be implemented to the full e)tent and spirit of the law. I will carry out the $agna Carta for !ublic Health (orkers in order to help local go ernments deli er on health in keeping with the spirit of the <ocal 4o ernment Code that de ol ed this function to our <4/s. .o ensure the consistent a ailability of health workers in the field, all health graduates of state colleges and uni ersities will be required to render public ser ice.

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Cheaper !edicines for all

'ur health workers must be able to work with the needed medicines on top of the facilities we will impro e on. .he pro isions of the Cheaper $edicines <aw must be e)panded to co er all nonC patent pharmaceutical products. I will guarantee that the :,, most essential drugs are a ailable in e ery health facility all the time. I will promote quality generic drugs as a way of bringing down the cost of medicine. $y go ernment will work with our !hilippine drug manufacturers to ensure that this will be a reality. 4o ernment shall import acti e ingredients for most essential drugs and mobiliBe local pharmaceutical manufacturers to toll for go ernment use to support the establishing of a local pharmaceutical industry and bring down medicine pricesG.:H . D. "overnance of the Health Sector

A !residential Health Commission shall be created to prioritiBe the *'H budget for underser ed areas, to allocate resources for the $agna Carta of !ublic and Barangay Health (orkers incenti es, and to institutionaliBe nationalClocal health cooperation under a decentraliBed health system.

A !residential <egislati e Agenda for Health will be created that will harmoniBe e)isting laws and codes that relate to health, guide actions of <4/s, national go ernment agencies and the pri ate sector in safeguarding public health, and stipulate the sanctions against iolation and negligence among others.

All health standards and regulatory bodies =0*A, !hilHealth, *'H? will be fully capacitated to guarantee quality of health products and ser ices.

All <ocal Chief %)ecuti es and health sector leaders must be required to attend a course on health go ernance that will highlight health in the hands of the people I I I !oor health is both the cause and effect of po erty. 0or our country to be great, our people must be of good health.

0or this, all 0ilipinos must ha e access to essential health care, medicines and ser ices. And it is the role of go ernment to pro ide the organiBation, infrastructure and systems that would make essential health care a ailable to all. 0or this to become a reality, !hilHealth must be a genuine form of social health insurance where all 0ilipinos are co ered, and all members of the medical profession in the country the gatekeepers of a rational health system. .here will be uni ersal health care for all 0ilipinos under an Aquino administration. (ork with me to make this a reality. Huwag na nating palampasin ang 9,:, na walang malinaw at matapang na hakbang para sa /ni ersal Health Care para sa lahat ng !ilipino. Jung walang corrupt, walang mahirapK go ernment sets aside !:7B per annum or the most essential medicines, it will co er the medicinal requirements of 6,A of 0ilipinos, including hospital care.
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