UHC law launching to benefit Cebuanos

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Health officially launched yesterday the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law in the Province of Cebu, being identified as an integration site in Central Visayas.

This milestone will pave the way for the Cebuanos to access quality and affordable health care.

The Province of Cebu, through the leadership of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, will be implementing reforms in healthcare system and develop mechanisms to ensure delivery of seamless quality service in an organized health care delivery system.

“The health system must actively improve the health literacy, the built environment, and the social determinants of health of every Filipino- it should be a system that seeks out and cares for Juan and Juana every day, throughout their lives, not just when they are sick,” Secretary Francisco Duque said.

He added that each Filipino will be assigned to a primary care provider (health worker) who shall be their first contact of health care.

Garcia has assured that they will work very hard for a smooth implementation of this program and said the Cebu provincial government is allocating P4 billion for the improvement of the provincial and district hospitals, health programs, among others.

“When we say, “Sa UHC, lahat kasama,” we do not just mean that UHC caters to every Juan and Juana, we are also calling on every Juan and Juana to contribute to this immense reform to shape their health future, a health future that is for them and as much as it is by them,” said Duque.

Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino said in his speech that the launching of the UHC program here in the province of Cebu as one of the UHC integration sites in the country will definitely “benefit our people and protect them from financial risks.”

“Today is a marvellous day for the Filipino people, especially for my fellow Cebuanos as we witness a new milestone in the Philippine Health Care Delivery System.  As it always has been, health truly is wealth,” Dino said.

Dino added that the increase in the cost of medicines and hospitalization have become a burden to every citizen over the years and even those that have money or properties eventually lost their assets when they, or any of their family members, fell chronically ill and had to undergo hospitalization and treatment.

Major stakeholders in health are gathered in this event to foster optimum support from the people from the Office of the President, House of Representatives, local government units, government agencies, development partners, academe and people’s organizations.

In a statement, DOH said that this is the realization of the commitment of the UHC to ensure a whole of system, whole of government and a whole of society approach in implementing this reform.

Under this program, the primary care providers will deliver free essential health services and will guide patients through the different health care facilities.

All Filipinos will also be automatic members of PhilHealth as direct or indirect contributors and shall be eligible to “No Balance Billing” once admitted to basic or ward accommodations in hospitals.

It added that availability of basic ward accommodation in all facilities will be ensured through prescribed basic-private bed ratios- 90:10 for public health facilities, 70:30 for public specialty health facilities, and a minimum of 10:90 for private health facilities.

With UHC, the delivery of optimum and quality health services will be achieved through capacity building of human resources for health and improved access to medicines and commodities by way of transparent pricing.

With all these promising improvements in the health system, the DOH reminds every Filipino to be cognizant of their role as agents of change, equally responsible for their own health.  GAN (FREEMAN)