Principal Health Reform

• Health Sector Reform

  • deals with a fundamental change of processes in policies and institutional arrangements of the health sector, usually guided by the government
• DOH Three Key reform strategies (2010-2016)

  • universal and sustainable PhilHealth membership
  • upgrading and modernizing government health facilities through the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP)
  • Fortifying efforts to achieve the MDG targets
• Strategies to achieve the goals of UHC

  1. Strengthening the governance and accountability of key actors - the DOH, PhilHealth, LGUs, and healthcare providers both government and private

  2. Pragmatic assessment of the unmet healthcare needs of the population and persistent inquities

  3. Rationalizing capital investments consistent with the reconfiguration of the service delivery system

  4. Systematic tracking of the health system's progress using a combination of data collection mechanisms

  5. Fostering partnerships with the private sector and other government institutions

  6. Aligning the health professional education system with international standards

  7. Developing the capacity for and managing the risks that future developments could create in the health sector
• 1995

  • RA 7875 National Health Insurance
  • seeks to provide all filipinos with the mechanism to gain financial access to health services giving priority to those who cannot afford such services
• 1999

  • Health Sector Reform Agenda
  • aims to improve the way health care is delivered, regulated and financed through systemic reforms in public health, the hospital system, local health, health regulation and health financing
• 2005

  • FOURmula One (F1) for Health
  • Implements the reform strategies in service delivery, health regulation, health financing and governance as a single package that is supported by effective management infrastructure and financing arrangements with particular focus on critical health interventions
• 2008

  • RA 9502 Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act
  • allows the government to adopt appropriate measures to promote and ensure access to affordable quality drugs and medicines for all
• 2010

  • Expanded Senior Citizen's Act of 2010 (RA 9994)
  • grants additional benefits and privileges to senior citizens, including 20% discount and exemption from the VAT on the purchase
  • free medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory fees in all private outsourced medical facilities, outpatient clinics, and home health care services
  • Administrative Order No. 2010-0032 provides the guidelines and mechanisms to implement the provisions of RA 9994
• 2010

  • Health Financing Strategy 2010-2020
  • supports the overall sector goals of improving financial protection, achieving efficiency gains and ensuring access to quality care through five pillars: creating more fiscal space for health, sustaining membership in PhilHealth pooling, who pays for what, provider payments, and fiscal autonomy of health facilities
• Aquino Health Agenda for Universal Health Care (Administrative Order No. 2010-0036)


  2010
• Aquino Health Agenda for Universal Health Care


  • Seeks to improve, streamline, and scale up the reform strategies laid out in the Health Sector Reform Agenda (1999) and the F1 for Health
  • Aims to address inequities in health outcomes by ensuring that all Filipinos, especially those belonging to the lowest two income quintiles, have equitable access to quality health care
• Policy reform


  • Aims to strengthen the NHIP as the prime mover in improving financial risk protection
  • Aims to generate resources to modernize and sustain public health facilities
  • Aims to improve the provision of public health services to achieve the MDGs
• Kalusugan Pangkalahatan


  More popularly known as the Aquino Health Agenda for Universal Health Care
• 2011

  • Mandatory Infants and Children's Health Immunization Act of 2011 (RA 10152)
  • Declares that the government shall take a proactive role in the preventive health care of infants and children, particularly in providing that mandatory basic immunization for all infants and children for the following vaccine-preventable diseases: TB, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, german measles, hep B, influenza
  • all infants shall be given the birth dose of the hep b vaccine within 24 hours of birth
• 2012

  • Sin Tax Reform Act of 2012 (RA 10351)
  • aims to raise revenues for health and discourage the consumption of the tobacco products and alcoholic beverages by imposing higher excise taxes of sin products
• Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act (RA 10354)

  2012
• Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act (RA 10354)

  • Guarantees universal and free access to nearly all modern contraceptives for all Filipinos including impoverished communities at government health centers
  • Mandates reproductive health education in government schools
  • Recognizes a woman's right to post-abortion care as part of the right to reproductive health care
• Executive Order No. 12

  2017
• Executive Order No. 12 2017


  1. Attaining and sustaining zero unmet need for modern family planning

  2. Strict implementation of the responsible parenthood and reproductive health act

  3. Providing funds therefore and for other purposes
• 2013

  • The National health Insurance Act of 2013 (RA 7875 as Amended by RA 9241 and RA 10606)
  • Salient amendments include: provision of full National
  • Government subsidy to enroll poor families identified by the OSWD's National Household Targeting System - Poverty Reduction INHTS-PRI and coverage for pregnant women; simplified membership requirements; simplified availment rules and increased financial protection for the poor through no-balance billing; streamlined accreditation process, and better administration of the National Health Insurance Program.
• 2014

  • RA 7432 as amended by RA 9994 and 10645 Act Providing for The Mandatory PhilHealth Coverage for All Senior Citizens
  • Provides for mandatory coverage of all senior citizens by the National Health Insurance Program of PhilHealth. The funds needed to ensure PhilHealth coverage shall be sourced from the proceeds of Republic Act No. 10351, also known as Sin Tax Reform Act of 2012.
• The Philippine Health Agenda (Administrative Order No. 2016-0038) was introduced


  2016
• The Philippine Health Agenda (PHA)


  • Aims to ensure the best health outcomes for all, without any form of inequity
  • Promote health and deliver health care through means that respect, value, and empower clients and patients as they interact with the health system
  • Protect all families especially the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable against the high costs of health care
• The PHA guarantees


  • Health services are available for both the well and the sick at all life stages and responsive to the triple burden of disease
  • Health services are delivered by a functional network of health facilities
  • Health services are financed predominantly by PhilHealth
• Health Service Delivery Objectives

  • to improve the delivery of health services by modernizing government facilities through the HFEP
  • to strengthen the mechanisms to ensure the delivery of priority public health services to achieve MDG targets
• Strategies for improving access to quality hospitals and other health facilities

  1. Utilizing the HFEP to upgrade the capacity of public health facilities to adequately manage the most common causes of mortality and morbidity, including trauma

  2. Establishing public-private partnerships (PPPs) to support the immediate repair, rehabilitation, and construction of selected priority health facilities

  3. Establishing regional clustering and referral networks of health facilities to mitigate the impact of devolution that led to service fragmentation

  4. Ensuring access to quality medicines

  5. Deploying health professionals to augment the local health workforce
• Strategies to ensure the attainment of the MDG targets include:1.Deploying community health teams (CHTs) to assist families innavigating the health system;2. Using the life-cycle approach for providing health care, includingfamily planning, delivery in health facilities, essential newborn andpostpartum care, and the Garantisadong Pambata package forchildren 0–14 years of age;3. Aggressively promoting healthy lifestyles to reduce NCDs; and4. Ensuring public health measures to prevent and controlcommunicable diseases, tighten health surveillance, and preparefor emerging and re-emerging diseases
• Health Facilities

  • The health system is generally unable to respond to the growing population, as shown by the stagnant number of hospitals and RHUs
• Health Facilities Strategies


  1. DOH lobbied for creation of HFEP in 2007

  2. Revitalize PHC facilities

  3. Rationalize various levels of hospitals

  4. Decongest end-referral hospitals
• HFEP budget of PHP 5.1 billion upgraded government hospitals to comply with new DOH licensing requirements

  2012
• HFEP budget utilization in 2012


  1. Upgraded government hospitals to comply with new DOH licensing requirements

  2. Expanded services of tertiary government hospitals as training and end-referral hospitals

  3. Strengthened comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services (CEmONC) facilities