The Department of Health on Friday, August 12 successfully concluded the last leg of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Provincial Summit for the four Ilocos provinces in Region I. It ended in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
DOH Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco said the summit was conducted to forge a consensus, build a broad-based coalition of essential stakeholders and provide a unified action toward prioritization of the health sector by the local government leaders.
She said “All the provincial leaders in Ilocos region have committed to implement and has taken initiatives to move swiftly towards UHC despite the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaya‘t ang DOH ay patuloy na sumusuporta sa ating mga LGUs upang maibigay ang health service coverage na kailangan nila.”
“Pag sinabi nating “UHC”, ibig sabihin lahat ay makakakuha ng health services na kailangan nila without suffering financial hardship. Kasama na dito ang full spectrum of health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care across the life course,” she added.
During the summits, former Undersecretary for Health Mario C. Villaverde presented an overview of the Universal Health Care (RA 11223) to local government executives and local health leaders to further familiarize them with the salient features of the law.
Senior Vice President for Philhealth Finance Policy Israel Francis A. Pargas elaborated on the health financing plan under the social health funds to better understand how revenue for health will be generated through four main sources, namely national and local governments, social health insurance through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), out of pocket spending, and private health insurance and donor funding.
Participants of the four regional summits have also affixed their signature on a pledge of commitment canvas to publicly confer their support for UHC.
The UHC provincial summit also offered the opportunity for inter-institutional and inter-governmental dialogue to mutually discuss beneficial action points that will realize the goals of UHC.
Sydiongco also expressed her sincere gratitude for the support of all the LGUs saying “kayo po ang susi sa tagumpay ng UHC. Ang tagumpay ng UHC ay tagumpay nating lahat.” (Glen S. Ramos/DOH-R1)
