“The stakes are high, and the consequences of inaction are measured in lives and lost opportunities”
As both a health advocate and a patient, I understand how access to essential medicines and quality health services are costly realities for many Filipinos.
The recent Universal Health Care Forum, organized by the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines in partnership with our health advocacy group UHC Watch, brought together leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector to address these challenges.
The message was clear: UHC is not just a policy—it is a commitment that must reach every Filipino, especially the most vulnerable.
PHAP Executive Director Teodoro Padilla opened the forum with a crucial reminder: “Access to medicines, vaccines, and health technologies is not only a health issue, it is a systems issue.”
He stressed that the availability and affordability of these essentials depend on how well we finance, procure, and manage the supply chain. This set the tone for a day of honest discussion about the persistent gaps in our health system.
Dr. Pura Angela Wee-Co of ThinkWell Institute presented findings from an ADB-ThinkWell study, highlighting a sobering reality: despite decades of reform, most Filipinos still pay out-of-pocket for medicines, and essential drugs remain unavailable in many areas.
She explained that the problem is not a lack of effort, but rather a buildup of well-intentioned reforms that lack streamlined implementation.
The study mapped the entire medicine access pathway and found that financing and procurement are fragmented by age group, each with separate budgets and systems.
Money flows through multiple, uncoordinated channels, with little leadership.
This fragmentation is not just bureaucratic—it has real consequences for patients. As Dr. Wee-Co put it, “The result is inefficiency, stockpiling, and inequity. It’s not a lack of money. There’s actually promise in increasing health sector funding, but misalignment in financing and procurement leads to a very inefficient market.”
Undersecretary Rolando Toledo of the Department of Budget and Management shared updates on the proposed 2026 health budget: ₱320.5 billion will be allocated to support the health sector, funding and enhancing health care services nationwide.
This significant investment underscores the government’s commitment to making UHC a reality—not just in policy, but in people’s daily lives.
He detailed allocations for regional hospitals, PhilHealth, the Cancer Assistance Fund, and medical assistance for indigent patients, affirming that “no Filipino should be left behind in accessing affordable and quality health services.”
Atty. Sofia Yanto-Abad, Deputy Director General of the Government Procurement Policy Board, described the New Government Procurement Act as a turning point for public procurement—making it more transparent, efficient, accountable, and professionalized.
The law anchors decision-making on value for money, enabling agencies to assess not just price, but also quality, lifecycle cost, performance, sustainability, and innovation.
Mechanisms for pooled procurement and multi-year contracting are designed to enable economies of scale, uniform standards, and more competitive pricing.
These improvements can directly benefit patients by ensuring more reliable access to essential medicines.
The forum also highlighted the urgent need for data-driven governance.
Dr. Fides Maria Buenafe of the Department of Health emphasized the importance of strengthening the Electronic Logistics Management Information System, a real-time inventory tracking system.
Interoperable data systems are essential for forecasting needs, preventing stockouts, and ensuring that every peso spent translates to better health outcomes.
What stood out as the forum ended was not just the complexity of the issues, but the willingness of stakeholders to confront uncomfortable truths.
Fragmented systems, overlapping mandates, and data silos are not just technical problems—they are barriers that keep patients waiting, sometimes in pain, for the care and medicines they need.
The discussions made it clear that real progress will require more than new laws or bigger budgets. It will demand honest collaboration, sharper accountability, and a relentless focus on outcomes that matter to ordinary Filipinos.
If there is one lesson from this gathering, it is that the work of universal health care is far from finished. The challenge now is to turn these insights into concrete reforms—streamlining procurement, modernizing data systems, and ensuring that every peso spent delivers real value to patients.
The stakes are high, and the consequences of inaction are measured in lives and lost opportunities.
As we move forward, let us demand for solutions that are practical, transparent, and rooted in the everyday realities of those who depend on our health system the most.
