Health Care Services in the Philippines

Gains in the health care system in the country cannot be understated. The past year
alone we have seen the passage of two hallmark legislation the Reproductive Health Law and
the Sin Tax Law both of which will guarantee higher resources for the public health care
system and increase access of marginalized sectors to health services. Within Asian countries,
the Philippines also appear to be halfway in achieving the Millennium Development Goals
indicators on health.
Improvements in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) have been
observed, more notably the increase in coverage of members and beneficiaries from 38% of the
total population in 2000 to 82% in 2011. Benefits provided as well as collections from members
have likewise increased. Social Weather Stations survey late last year further shows
PhilHealths public satisfaction rating increase from plus 67 percent to plus 82 percent. There is
thus much to be hoped for in achieving universal healthcare in the Philippines.
Taking these improvements into account however, considerably more than what was
achieved still needs to be done. For example, the quality of healthcare services remains
inconsistent across the country with the inefficient decentralization of healthcare functions and
resources. Coverage thus is highly unequal among the different regions and provinces of the
country, with coverage reaching up to 67.5% in Northern Mindanao but remaining as low as
17.5% in ARMM. There is also substantial difference in access to health services between urban
and rural areas, as well as, across quintiles of the population, given that only 21% in the poorest
quintile have access to health insurance while access of the richest quintile is at 65%.
Moreover, out-of-pocket spending on health remains high at 53% of total health spending
showing the high financial burden on each individual that government fails to attend to,
exacerbated further by the highly unequal wealth distribution in the country.
With the current situation of the health care system in the country, there is indeed
fertile ground for progressive reforms and much room for innovations. The Philippines
consequently lags behind her Southeast Asian neighbors in healthcare reform.

Prepared by: Archie Veda R Capistrano