Health summit set for UHC implementation

A HEALTH summit will be conducted in Negros Occidental on November, this year in preparation of the implantation of Universal Health Care (UHC), Provincial Health Officer Ernell Tumimbang, said yesterday, September 23.

Tumimbang said the summit will be conducted to inform the mayors and other officials on how to properly implement the UHC since Negros Occidental was chose as among its advance implementation site

He said once implemented, the budget will come from the National Government through Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and the Department of Health (DOH).

“This is the road map we need to accomplish in 2023,” Tumimbang said.

Approved into law by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, among the salient features of the UHC are the expansion of population, service, and financial coverage through an array of health system amendments.

On top of that is a planned paradigm shift to primary care, which is the core and center of all health reforms under the UHC.

With UHC, all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health care goods and services, and protected against financial risk, the DOH earlier said.

It added that the UHC helps ensure every Filipino is healthy, protected from health hazards and risks, and has access to affordable, quality, and readily available health service that is suitable to their needs.

With the creation of the UHC, Tumimbang stressed that the province needed to create another health board aside from the one mandated by the Department of Interior and Local Government.

The new health board is tasked to manage the health fund and policy direction of the UHC implementation, he said.

So far, Tumimbang said that they have already identified the members of the new health board and it is already due for approval of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.

Once created, they will meet for the purposes of policy direction, the provincial health officer noted.