DOH proposes P182-B budget in 2021 for UHC implementation

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday proposed a P182 billion budget for 2021 to implement the Universal Health Care (UHC) law and to prepare the health system for emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19.

During a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee hearing, Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said the department's proposed budget for next year was the first one to be aligned to the UHC law.

"You can see that Priority 1 is related to the implementation of UHC and linked closely to this UHC is our proposal for health system resiliency, particularly in terms of responding to emerging infectious diseases. These are inter-related and most of the provisions of the universal health care can also be adopted," Villaverde said.

Twenty-nine percent of the proposed budget or P53.20 billion would be allocated to the implementation of UHC law-related proposals while P20.89 billion or 11 percent would go to health system strengthening efforts and pandemic-related items.

The UHC law, which automatically enrolls all Filipino citizens into the National Health Insurance Program, was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in February 2019. Its implementing rules and regulations were released in October of the same year.

Second on the list of priorities in the DOH proposed fund for 2021 was the P35.11 billion budget for items related to the execution of other health laws concerning cancer, HIV-AIDS, and first 1000 days of children.

Other urgent and compelling needs such as tuberculosis and rabies control programs were proposed to be funded with P37.83 billion.

The suggested budget also earmarked P35.08 billion for the department's operations.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III acknowledged that new resources would have to be mobilized to support the reforms that would be introduced through the UHC law.

He emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic only exposed the gaps which had to be addressed through the implementation of this law.

"While COVID-19 mitigation and response entailed shifting resources to prioritize the most immediate and pressing concerns, UHC has not been displaced by the pandemic, instead, this prompted the national government through the department to recalibrate, restrategize, and innovate its approach," Duque said in his opening message during the hearing.

"It is clear to us that implementing the UHC Law and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic are symbiotic; the system that UHC seeks to strengthen is the same system that responds to the pandemic," he added.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) recommended a "general delay" on the implementation of the UHC and postponement of the expansion of the primary care benefit as it sees a fund deficit in the next four years based on the current COVID-19 scenario.  — DVM, GMA News