The Unilab Center for Health and Policy (UCHP) gathered experts, elected officials, and health advocates in a conference centered on “Investing in Health: Policy Forum on LGU Health Budget and PhilHealth Benefit Design Stakeholder Validation” last Sept. 3 at the Makati Shangri-La.
Filling in for the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, who was supposed to deliver the keynote address, was DBM Undersecretary Margaux Marie V. Salcedo, who covered various topics in her speech, including the government’s commitment to universal health care, the promised zero-balance billing, and stronger support for hospitals, facilities, and healthcare workers.
“We are very grateful for these policy forums that serve as a platform to foster collaborative discussions addressing crucial health policy issues. Together, we can determine how to move closer to achieving universal health care for all,” she said.
USec. Salcedo also called on LGUs to align local health plans, mobilize resources, and partner with national agencies to ensure inclusive, equitable, and sustainable health services for all Filipinos.
“So, as you can see, the national government is doing its best to make quality health care inclusive, equitable, and affordable for all Filipinos, but we also need our LGUs to carry this mission forward by taking decisive steps in strategic planning, fund mobilization, and collaborative partnerships,” she encouraged.
Dr. Maria Eufemia C. Yap
In her presentation, Dr. Maria Eufemia C. Yap from the Ateneo Policy Center spoke on “Maximizing Local Government Fiscal Performance of Health Budget,” detailing how budgets from certain LGUs are spent, where they came from, and how they can be used more effectively.
Dr. Yap cited examples from five archetype cities with typical patterns that other local government units can recognize and learn from, namely: Odiongan City in Romblon; Quezon City; the province of Antique and the municipality of Belison; and Isabela City, Basilan.
“The goal is to go beyond budget allocation and examine why execution remains a challenge. We are trying to identify root causes and trying to develop some solutions that hopefully will enable our LGUs to maximize resources for health,” she said.
Complementing this perspective, Dr. Hilton Lam, director of the Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies, along with his team, presented findings, “Stakeholder Validation: PhilHealth Benefits Enhancement: Assessing Supplemental Insurance Coverage,” and gave emphasis on the benefits of offering Filipinos medical savings accounts.
“Studies have shown that medical savings accounts in other countries have been very successful because they change the health-seeking behavior. It changes the risky behavior of these people, because once they know that this pot of money can eventually be used it for something else,” Dr. Lam explained.
PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Edwin M. Mercado, meanwhile, outlined the state insurer’s role in fund procurement and efficient utilization at the local level during his presentation at the forum.
“We are hoping that everybody increases and improves the delivery of healthcare, and hopefully, in the long term, we save economically,” he said.
Panel Discussions
During the policy forum’s first panel discussion, representatives from local government units, along with executives from nongovernment organizations, expounded on the topic “Powering Local Health: Strategies to Optimize LGU Health Investments.”
Members of the panel include formerly Philippine Vice-President and currently Naga City Mayor Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo, Catanduanes Governor Patrick Alain Azanza, Zuellig Family Foundation Executive Director Austere Panadero, People’s Budget Coalition Lead Covenor Kenneth Isaiah Abante, Isabela City, Basilan Health Officer Dr. Mohrein Ismael IV, Odiongan Medical Officer Dr. Francis Lianne Ramos, and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines Project Development Manager Lawrence John Paulo L. Trinidad.
Mr. Azanza pointed to systemic leakages: “Corruption really remains to be an open faucet that depletes all the resources meant for the island. We also have a healthcare system that has more job orders than healthcare workers.”
Similarly, Mr. Trinidad emphasized collaboration: “We try our best to advocate on how the national government can supplement local government funds. We are very happy that PhilHealth is continuing with several programs.”
For the second panel discussion, a panel on “PhilHealth Reimagined: A Multi-Stakeholder Roadmap to Benefit Enhancement” featured representatives from the Department of Health, Cancer Coalition Philippines, ICanServe Foundation, Maxicare, and the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health.
Among the panelists are: Department of Health Regional Director Dr. Lester M. Tan, Cancer Warriors Foundation CEO Carmen Auste, ICanServe Foundation Founding President Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, Maxicare Healthcare Foundation Medical Director Arturo Libao, Employers Confederation of the Philippines Governor Arturo C. Guerrero, and Dr. Cenon Alfonso, from the Ateneo de Manila School of Medicine and Public Health.
Maxicare’s Dr. Libao called for a broader approach: “We must veer away from the usual typical consultations, diagnostic tests, and physical examinations. We must be able to understand what [patients] actually want.”
Ateneo’s Dr. Alfonso added: “We teach our students the excellence of the science of medicine, but at the same time, to open their minds and think systemically.”
To close the program, UCHP Advisory Council Chair and former Department of Health Secretary Enrique Ona gave a synthesis of the discussions and a message for fellow practitioners.
“We must strengthen our LGU capacities and keep the Filipino people at the center of every policy that we make for universal health care,” Dr. Ona concluded.
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