MANDAUE City is the first local government unit (LGU) in Cebu to become a Universal Health Care (UHC)-integrated site.
Officials of the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH 7), in partnership with the Philippine Health (PhilHealth) Insurance and the City Health Office of Mandaue City, staged the ceremonial launching of Mandaue City's UHC Integration Site on Monday, November 28, 2022, at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex.
In his speech, DOH Regional Director Jaime Bernadas said their mission in Central Visayas is to develop a people-centered, resilient, and equitable health system.
Bernadas also said the DOH's vision for Filipinos is to be among the healthiest people in Southeast Asia by 2022 and in Asia by 2040.
He said DOH 7 would work hand-in-hand with the City Health Office to implement reforms in the Mandaue City Health Care System.
He added that one of the very vital features of this reform is the enlistment of every citizen to a primary care provider (PCP) that can provide the appropriate level of care in the appropriate facility through a Health Care Provider Network.
He said the healthcare workers have continuously moved out of their stations and conducted the family profiling through the regional initiated system, "Check-up Profiling System."
He encouraged all the residents in Mandaue City to make sure they are profiled and matched to a healthcare provider as they anticipate movements due to possible changes of residence.
Also at the event were Mandaue City Officials led by Mayor Jonas Cortes and Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede.
A Universal Health Care-Integration Site means provinces, Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCS), and (Independent Component Cities) ICCs have signified their commitment to the DOH to integrate their local health systems into a City-wide health system (CWHS).
With Universal Healthcare, all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable healthcare goods and services and are protected against financial risk.
This means delivering seamless healthcare services, entailing the grouping of providers and facilities into primary care provider networks, and linking them to secondary and tertiary care facilities as networks.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the law in February 2019.
Cebu is also among those 14 provinces in the country that expressed commitment to participate in the concept of UHC when Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and former Health secretary Francisco Duque III signed a memorandum of understanding following the official launch of the UHC implementation in the province on January 9, 2020.
Other provinces were Valenzuela City, Parañaque City, Baguio, Iloilo, Isabela, Batangas, Quezon, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Sarangani, and South Cotabato. (HIC)