The Asian Development Bank said Friday it approved a $600-million policy-based loan to help the Philippines provide quality and equitable health services as part of its universal health care reform program.
It said the Build Universal Health Care Program seeks to support the government’s initiatives to improve the financing and delivery of health services and implement measures to monitor the performance of health service providers.
The Philippines enacted the UHC Act in February 2019 to ensure Filipinos have equitable access to quality health services and avoid high out-of-pocket health expenses. It includes a series of reforms planned over several years.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing constraints in the country’s health care service delivery, which the government sought to address in its pandemic health response,” said ADB director of human and social development for Southeast Asia Ayako Inagaki. Julito G. Rada