Spending for healthcare up 8.3% in 2018

MANILA, Philippines — The country spent more on healthcare last year as total health expenditures increased 8.3 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Total health expenditures grew to P799.1 billion in 2018 from P737.8 billion in 2017. This contributed 4.6 percent to gross domestic product.

“The 2018 Total Health Expenditures comprised of 96 percent current health expenditures and four percent health capital formation expenditures in government sector,” the PSA said.

Every Filipino spent P7,496 for health in 2018, 6.6 percent higher than the per capita health spending of Filipinos in 2017.

“In real terms, per capita health expenditure of Filipinos amounted to P6,391,” the PSA said.

The bulk of health expenditures came from household-out-of-pocket payments (OOP) which registered at P413 billion, more than half or 53.9 percent of CHE in 2018.

“Health spending financed through government schemes and compulsory contributory health care financing schemes was at P260.6 billion or 34 percent of CHE.

In addition, PSA reported that voluntary health care payment schemes contributed P93.3 billion or 12.2 percent of total.

The PSA reported that more than half of the OOP or 50.1 percent amounting to P206.7 billion were spent on pharmacies.

This was followed by hospitals,which received the second largest amount of OOP, at P148.8 billion.

“Bulk of hospital expenditures went to private general hospitals, at P108 billion; followed by providers of ambulatory health care at P55.7 billion or 13.5 percent and providers of ancillary services at P1.7 billion or less than one percent,” the PSA said.