Health
From The Report: The Philippines 2016
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With the government committing unprecedented levels of funding to increasing the coverage of its national public health insurance programme, positive effects are being felt throughout the domestic health sector. The Philippine experiment of combining public health care spending with private sector delivery continues to evolve. As health care remains central to the public interest, there is a heavy onus on improving access and efficiency in accordance with the goal of providing universal health care coverage for all Filipinos by 2016. In addition to the realisation of hard infrastructure projects under public-private partnerships, options for the provision of health services under such a model are gradually coming to the fore. This chapter contains an interview with Mario M Silos, Chairman and President, Intellicare.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Upgrading the system: Health care is undergoing a series of changes that could reshape the sector
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The health care sector is experiencing a time of growth and adjustment. As the government proceeds with its goal of providing universal health care to the population, both the public and the private health sectors as well as pharmaceutical companies are modifying their systems and forward planning accordingly in order to align with governmental, regulatory and societal shifts. Devolved System In 1991 the Philippine Congress enacted the Local Government Code, devolving primary and secondary health…

Analysis

Getting to 100 percent: An ambitious programme to provide universal health care is under way
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In June 2013 the passage of the National Health Insurance Act of 2013 extended the national health insurance scheme, PhilHealth, to all Filipinos. As of the end of 2014, 86m Filipinos, or 87% of the population, were covered by PhilHealth. Universal coverage is the government’s ultimate goal. This broad coverage does not tell the whole story, however. PhilHealth’s coverage may be wide, but it is not very deep. In the past, budgetary constraints have handicapped PhilHealth’s ability to pay for…

Analysis

A plan for action: Confronting the threat posed by climate change will be vital for the long-term viability of the country
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Climate and weather significantly affect human health, and even relatively minor changes to a country’s climate can exacerbate and spread disease and multiply deaths. Worse, extreme weather events can greatly undermine a country’s clean water and food supplies, infrastructure, health systems and social protection systems. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change could result in nearly 250,000 deaths per year globally, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). High temperatures, sea-level…

Interview

Closing the gap: OBG talks to Mario M Silos, Chairman and President, Intellicare
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Interview:Mario M Silos How can health maintenance organisations (HMOs) bridge health care gaps in the Philippines? MARIO M SILOS: Total health care expenditures are segregated between the public and private sectors. Around 20 years ago expenditure was shared between the two sectors evenly. However, while most South-east Asian countries have moved towards increased government participation in health care expenditures, the scenario in the Philippines is the opposite. In the Philippines,…