Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $450-million policy loan to finance the government’s health policy reforms that provide better access to medicines and health services, as well as to increase the universal health care (UHC) coverage funds.
In a statement on Wednesday, Dec. 6, ADB Principal Health Specialist Eduardo Banzon said the program ensures the country’s reforms “are responsive to gender-specific health issues and the impacts of climate change on people’s health and well-being.”
The policy-based loan includes a Build Universal Health Care Program (Subprogram 2) to implement key reforms under the UHC Act of 2019.
The health reforms include sustainable financing for UHC, the integrated delivery of quality health services, and the interoperability of health information systems, according to ADB.
The new program also builds on previous ADB support provided under Subprogram 1 and technical assistance financed by the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific in November 2021, it added.
“The Build UHC Program is part of ADB’s commitment to deliver long-term support to the country to ensure all Filipinos have equitable access to quality health services without exhausting their finances,” said Banzon.
The ADB said that under Subprogram 2, the government has updated its health financing strategy, including the national medicine access policy, and the National Health Data Repository framework.
It noted that the Green and Safe Health Facilities scheme was also implemented “to ensure public health facilities are disaster-resilient, environmentally sustainable, and gender-responsive.”
“The number of available primary care providers was increased, and primary care benefits were enhanced under the National Health Insurance Program, including the enhancements of inpatient benefits,” said ADB.
In addition, the multilateral agency also noted that the Philippines had been able to expand its health promotion activities in communities, workplaces, and schools across the country, including the designation of barangay health workers as community-level health education and promotion officers.
The government also initiated an annual monitoring of UHC outputs and introduced performance incentives for local government units, it said in the statement.
The ADB has been working with the government for the UHC Act since 2016. During the Covid years, the ADB has extended several assistance such as the Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19 and the Second Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19 under the Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility.