CPH - Reaction Paper

Reaction Paper on “Telltale signs that health care in the Philippines is not universal” by
Salamanca October 2020
Casey Salamanca outlines a number of variables in her article, "Telltale Signs that
Health Care in the Philippines is Not Universal," that show health care in the Philippines
is not genuinely universal. The factors are as follows:
● Despite the presence of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth),

households continue to contribute for the bulk of total health spending in the
Philippines. Out-of-pocket payments, for example, accounted for 53.9% of total
health spending in 2018. This means that, even though they are PhilHealth
members, a considerable percentage of Filipinos are still required to spend large
sums of money out of their own pockets for health treatment.
● Hospitals and health facilities are in scarce supply in the Philippines, particularly
in rural regions. As a result, many Filipinos must travel vast distances to obtain
health treatment, which can be costly and time demanding.
● Inequitable allocation of health resources: Health resources are not fairly
distributed in the Philippines, with metropolitan areas having better access to
health care than rural ones. This indicates that Filipinos living in rural areas are
more likely to face financial difficulties as a result of health-care costs.
● Corruption in the health sector: Corruption is a serious issue in the Philippine
health care system. As a result, funds have been misappropriated, care has been
of poor quality, and patients have been overcharged.
Salamanca contends that all of these elements point to a health-care system that is not
truly universal. She contends that the Philippine government should do more to make
healthcare more inexpensive and available to all Filipinos.
Salamanca's work is current and significant in the discussion of health care in the
Philippines. It is obvious that the Philippine health-care system does not serve
everyone. Many Filipinos continue to pay enormous sums of money out of their own
pockets for health care, and many others are unable to obtain the care they require due
to a lack of hospitals and health facilities.
The Philippine government has taken some steps to address these issues. For
example, in 2012, the Universal Health Care Act was passed, with the goal of providing
universal health care coverage to all Filipinos. However, the Universal Health Care Act's
implementation has been delayed, and it is unknown when all Filipinos will have access
to affordable and accessible health care.
In addition to the issues outlined by Salamanca, the Philippine health-care system faces
a number of other concerns. Some examples are scarcity of healthcare workers,
inadequate investment in preventive health care and the prevalence of chronic disease
is high.
These challenges must be solved if the Philippines is to realize the aim of universal
health care.
On the other hand, the Philippine government must undertake a number of projects to
strengthen and expand the health-care system. These projects are as follows:
● Increasing health-care investment, notably in preventive care and in rural regions

● Addressing the healthcare worker shortage
● More effective implementation of the Universal Health Care Act
● Dealing on corruption in the health sector
The Philippine government should as well try to lower Filipinos' out-of-pocket healthcare
costs. This could be accomplished by enhancing PhilHealth benefits and broadening the
scope of social assistance programs.
To summarize, the Philippine healthcare system is not yet universal. Many Filipinos
continue to pay enormous sums of money out of their own pockets for health care, and
many others are unable to obtain the care they require due to lack of hospitals and
health facilities.
The Philippine government must take a variety of efforts to strengthen and expand the
health-care system. These efforts include expanding health-care investment, resolving
the scarcity of healthcare employees, more effectively executing the Universal Health
Care Act, and combating health-care corruption.
The Philippine government should also work to reduce the out-of-pocket costs of
healthcare for Filipinos. This could be done by increasing PhilHealth benefits and by
expanding the coverage of social welfare programs.
Making health care universal in the Philippines will require a significant amount of
financial resources and political efforts. However, it is a goal that is worth striving for.
Universal health care would ensure that all Filipinos, regardless of income or location,
have access to the health care they deserve and need.

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Reaction Paper on “Telltale signs that health care in the Philippines is not universal” by

Salamanca October 2020

● Despite the presence of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth),

● Increasing health-care investment, notably in preventive care and in rural regions

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