Health expenditures rise 8% in 2017

MANILA, Philippines — The country spent more for healthcare last year with out-of-pocket expenses growing steeply, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

The country’s total health expenditures at current prices grew by eight percent to P712.3 billion last year  from P659.3 billion in 2016, contributing 4.5 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Out of the total health expenditures last year, 96.1 percent were current health expenditures while 3.9 percent comprised health capital formation expenses  in the government sector.

Every Filipino spent an average of P6,791 for health as seen in the per capita health spending during the year using a population count of 104.9 million. This has grown from P5,834 in 2015 and  P6,388 in 2016.

The bulk of health expenditures came from households as seen in the 54.5 percent share of household out-of-pocket expenses to the total health expenditures.

Government schemes and compulsory contributory health care financing schemes made up 33 percent of the country’s health expenditures amounting to P225.9 billion.

Voluntary health care payment schemes, meanwhile, contributed P85.7 billion or 12.5 percent of the total.

More than half (50.1 percent) of the out-of-pocket medical expenses  amounting to P186.6 billion went to pharmacies, private hospitals (P97.5 billion or a share of 26.1 percent).

Providers of ambulatory healthcare received P50.3 billion or 13.5 percent of the total.