Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Sunday urged the Department of Health (DOH) to increase support for the provinces chosen for the pilot implementation of the Universal Health Care Act saying the government should provide more resources for the improvement of primary health care facilities and training for health workers.
Escudero noted not all local government units (LGUs in the 33 pilot provinces for the implementation of the UHC law have sufficient budget for health spending to be able to establish functional health care provider network (HCPN) which is required under the Act.
“The pandemic response of different LGUs across the country shows the glaring gap in their health capacities and their unpreparedness for UHC implementation,” Escudero said in a statement.
“While all mayors and governors are willing to spend on health, the fact is, there just is not enough money to spend,” added Escudero, who is running again for senator in the upcoming May 2022 elections.
Escudero said his province Sorsogon is among the pilot provinces. While Sorsogon has bene laying the foundation for HCPN for the past three years, most provincial governments are still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
He also said not all LGUs have resources left to prepare for the implementation of the UHC law.
Citing a study done by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Escudero noted that 51.6 percent of rural health units across the Philippines are ill-equipped while many district hospitals are poorly staffed.
This has forced patients to go to private hospitals or health centers that charge fees.
“This beats the whole point of UHC. If we want UHC to work and truly provide health care for all, we must invest in our public health facilities, especially at the first point of service, which are the barangay health stations and rural health units,” he pointed out.
“While health services have been devolved to LGUs, the truth is most LGUs would not be able to move forward without funding support from the DOH,” he lamented.
As a former senator, Escudero said he feels the disconnect between the purpose of the law and the reality on the ground faced by LGUs that are tasked to implement the UHC law.
He said helping LGUs improve their health facilities would also allow these facilities to meet the accreditation requirements of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
Escudero said this would mean that more indigents can seek treatment in PhilHealth-accredited hospitals without paying a single centavo.