THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday called on mayors and governors to become champions of Universal Health Care (UHC) in their respective cities and provinces to ensure health services for their people will be sustained.
Speaking at the National Universal Health Care Summit in Mandaluyong City, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the leadership of local chief executives is necessary if the UHC program is to succeed.
“The success of UHC rests not solely on national policy but on the concrete decisions you make. The ordinances you enact will establish legal and institutional frameworks that afford UHC implementation, from creation of local health boards and referral mechanisms to the institutionalization of special health funds and accountability structures,” said Herbosa.
“The budgets you allocate signal your political will, thereby ensuring that health is prioritized alongside other local development concerns,” he added.
The health chief added that ensuring a sustainable UHC program will provide the citizens with protection against catastrophic out-of-pocket spending.
He said this is because the healthcare services won’t be dependent on government officials.
“Your role is not to simply implement national mandate but to shape sustainability, equity, and inclusivity of health systems that will endure beyond political terms,” said Herbosa.
“To ensure that the right to health is safeguarded for generations to come, UHC must become a system of continuity and not political three-year cycles,” he added.
But aside from establishing an operational referral system and integrated service delivery networks, Herbosa said local governments must not forget the healthcare workers.
He pointed out how the UHC also ensures that human health resources are taken good care of.
“Let us invest in our health workforce. It’s very important. We supply the world with our health workforce, yet we minimize them here in our own country. Let’s take good care of them,” he said.
“From barangay health workers, nutrition scholars, specialists in hospitals, and nurses, let’s all take good care of them,” added Herbosa.
The Philippines enacted the Universal Health Care (UHC) law in 2019 to provide all Filipinos with the healthcare services they need.
In 2020, a total of 58 Universal Health Care- Integration Sites (UHC-IS) were established nationwide.
As of 2025, the DOH said there are now a total of 104 UHC-IS across the country.
