DOF: PH secures ₱36.95B grant from US for stronger healthcare system

The Philippines has secured up to $600 million, or approximately ₱36.95 billion, in grants from the United States to improve the country’s healthcare system and respond to public health threats, the Department of Finance (DOF) said Monday.

In a statement, the DOF said the grant was provided under the Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG) and is proposed for implementation by the Department of Health (DOH).

The grant will help build an integrated, sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant health system by strengthening health security, improving healthcare delivery, and enhancing the country’s capacity to respond to infectious disease threats.

It will also strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries on global health security and other key health programs.

Under the SOAG, the Philippines and US will cooperate to strengthen disease surveillance, detection, and outbreak response; integrate health service delivery across disease programs; and enhance the country’s capacity to finance and manage the health sector.

The initiative will also support priority health programs addressing Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH).

“Investing in healthcare is investing in our people, our productivity, and our future. Through this grant, we are strengthening the country’s ability to respond to health emergencies while building a more resilient and sustainable healthcare system that benefits our people,” Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go said.

DOH has recorded more than 100,000 TB cases in Metro Manila as of February 2026.

Meanwhile, DOH logged 4,277 newly HIV cases for the fourth quarter of 2025.

With the recent numbers, the total reported cases of HIV climbed to 163,454 between January 1984 and December 2025. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/AOL, GMA News