DOH proposal on healthcare council approved

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PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. approved the proposal to create a coordinating council that will oversee the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act and ensure the roll-out of a well-integrated healthcare system in the country.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa Jr. yesterday said the President approved the proposal of the Department of Health (DOH) to create the Universal Health Care Coordinating Council that will be co-chaired by the DOH and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

He said the executive order organizing the council and detailing its responsibilities and functions will still be crafted.

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“We will standardize the health policies. The council will serve as a national governance body that will oversee the implementation of Universal Health Care Act nationwide, the project and estimate total national cost for UHC and also implementation of the Universal Health Care at local government level,” he said.

Herbosa said the Council will also serve as the venue to discuss concerns that might be raised during the implementation of UHC, as well as keep track of the spending of the special health fund by the local government units (LGUs) and local health systems in a bid to improve the country’s health system.

“What happens is there is going to be a special health fund, which is actually emphasized in the law, and that’s why we created the council to watch the spending of the money on the special health fund and the implementation would be standard for all different LGUs,” he said.

Members of the council are the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Professional Regulation Commission, and the National Economic and Development Authority.

Herbosa said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Commission on Higher Education, and Department of Education will also “probably” become members of the council.

Under Republic Act No. 11223 or the UHC Act, the province-wide or city-wide health system shall pool and manage, through a special health fund, all resources intended for health services to finance population-based and individual-based health services, health system operating costs, capital investments, and remuneration of additional health workers and incentives for all health workers.

Herbosa said that since the enactment of the law in 2019,   71 local government units (59 provinces and 12 highly-urbanized cities) have committed to integrate their local health systems, to be Universal Health Care Integration Sites.

This year, five UHC integration sites will also serve as pilot areas for the test run if their network healthcare systems work. These are Baguio, Bataan, Quezon, Guimaras and South Cotabato.

Herbosa also said the President has also instructed the DILG to expedite the review of Executive Order No. 138 on the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on the Mandanas-Garcia petitions and incorporate some of these to the Universal Health Care financing reforms in the amendments.

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