Pt.1

• Minority groups in the Philippines

  • Muslims
• When designing the content of an Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS), standards need to be set, understanding that the concept is not static and needs adaptation to different contexts
• The Philippines continues to combat pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB), diseases of the heart, vascular system, malignant neoplasms, and diabetes as leading causes of death
• Service delivery in the Philippines includes access to quality essential health products and services, quality health facilities, capable Human Resources for Health (HRH), and functional Service Delivery Networks (SDNs) to expand access to comprehensive care
• Majority of Filipinos


  • Christian Malays
  • Roman Catholics
• Progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the Philippines is based on expanding the coverage and scope of an Essential Package of Health Services, with sustainable financing and leaving no one behind
• Life expectancy at birth in the Philippines has increased from 62.2 years in 1980 to 69.1 years in 2016 and 71.4 years in 2021, attributed mainly to improving living conditions
• The Philippines is an archipelago in South-East Asia with a population of 110.8 million as of 2021
• The Philippines ranks third in the world in terms of exposure to disaster risk, with strong typhoons occurring regularly
• Provision of essential health care in the Philippines emphasizes people-centered and integrated delivery of quality and affordable health services at appropriate levels of care
• Guidance for EPHS should be flexible and revisited to adapt to changes in crises and available resources over time
• Clusters of essential health services in the Philippines

  • Medical and Public Health
  • Nutrition
  • Water and Sanitation Hygiene
  • Mental Health and Psycho-social Support
• The Philippines has an adult literacy rate of 96.5%
• The Philippines is one of Asia's fastest-growing economies, with a GDP growth of 6.7% at the end of 2017
• The Global Health Cluster Task Team on Essential Package of Health Services has developed a six-step process to develop, implement, and monitor an EPHS
• Governance-associated challenges in the Philippines serve as an impetus for recent health reform efforts
• The Philippines is the thirteenth most populous country in the world (World Bank, 2018b)
• Restoring and maintaining access to essential lifesaving services is central in all humanitarian health response strategies
• Components of access to capable Human Resources for Health (HRH)

  • Looks at the sufficiency production, quality, and distribution of health professionals like physicians, public health nurses, rural health midwives, and dentists
• Components of access to quality health facilities

  • Looks at the adequacy of different levels of healthcare facilities considering population size and distribution
• Components of access to quality health products and medicines

  • Looks at the affordability of essential drugs and their availability at service delivery points
• Primary level of care characteristics

  • Devolved to cities and municipalities
  • First contact between community members and other levels of health facility
  • Focus on disease prevention and health promotion
• Components of essential health service packages

  • Provision of family health care
  • Prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases
  • Access to quality health products and medicines
• Components of family health care

  • Offers a continuum of interventions across the life-course to ensure health and well-being at various stages in life
• Levels of health care system

  • Primary level of care
  • Secondary level of care
  • Tertiary level of care
• Secondary level of care characteristics

  • Given by physicians with basic health training
  • Usually given in health facilities either private owned or government operated
  • Focus on disease detection and treatment
• The Global Health Cluster Task Team on Essential Package of Health Services has developed a working paper that proposes a six-step process to develop, implement, and monitor an EPHS
• Components of Service Delivery Networks (SDNs)

  • Provides the platform for interlinking health products and services, health facilities, and Human Resources for Health
• Flexible guidance for Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS) should be revisited to adapt to changes over time
• Tertiary level of care characteristics

  • Referral system for secondary care facilities
  • Provided for complicated cases and intensive care
  • Focus on disease rehabilitation
• Components of prevention and control of diseases

  • Intend to reduce premature morbidities and mortalities through activities aimed at managing public health threats and promoting as well as strengthening preventive care