There will be no nationwide implementation of the Universal Health Care law next year due to budget constraints and lack of readiness, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said yesterday.
Duque, in yesterday’s House Committee on Appropriations’ deliberations on the Department of Health’s proposed P88-billion budget for 2020, said their proposed appropriations are “insufficient” to cover the entire cost of healthcare in the country, particularly for poor Filipinos.
“The strategic readiness of the DoH in the implementation of the Universal Health Care Year 1 is 2020, and it is a progressive realization, it cannot be a national roll-out, your honors,” Duque told the budget hearing, presided over by Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, who asked the readiness of the DoH to implement the UHC law which was signed by President Duterte last Feb. 20.
Duque said they have identified certain provinces that would serve as “a model” for the implementation of the various components of Republic Act No. 11223.
“We have rather identified certain provinces that will become the model for the implementation of the various components of the UHC law – service delivery, health regulation, health care financing governance and performance accountability, as well as local health systems development. These are essentially the five components of the UHC,” Duque said.
He also cited the need to launch capacity building in different provinces, which under the law, would serve as “the convergence points of integration.”
“I guess the keywords are progressive realization given that we cannot do a national roll-out because of budgetary constraints and also because of the readiness,” Duque said. (Charissa L. Atienza)
