Palace says healthcare improved despite PHL's poor 'Quality of Death' ranking

Malacañang on Saturday insisted that there were improvements in the country's healthcare system despite a recent Quality of Death study in which the Philippines was ranked 78th out of 80 countries.

“Ang programa naman ng pamahalaan para doon sa universal healthcare talaga, ‘di ba, na unang-una binuo natin ‘yung coverage ng PhilHealth. Kasi ‘yan ‘yung existing system natin for insurance or at least healthcare ng Pilipino,” Deputy Presidential Spokesman Abigail Valte said during a media conference.

Valte said that a notable improvement in the healthcare system was the removal of differences in the coverage of health packages for PhilHealth members.

“Kasi dati may discretion. Kung halimbawa, nagka-dengue ka, magkano ‘yung pwede mong makuha? Ngayon, standard na po ‘yan para na a-avoid po natin ‘yung nagkakaroon ng discretion,” she explained.

“Kasi, siyempre, ‘pag may discretion hindi naman po ma-justify kung bakit mas mataas ang rate na ibinigay sa isang pasyente over another patient who had the same case. So ngayon po, standard na po ang case rates natin, at mas marami na hong sakit ang kino-cover ngayon ng PhilHealth,” she added.

Valte also pointed to the Z-benefits package, a service and rate for PhilHealth members with catastrophic illnesses that will need prolonged hospitalization, as a sign of the improved healthcare service.

“Tapos itinaas na rin natin ‘yung coverage ng PhilHealth at kino-cover na po ng PhilHealth nang 100 percent naman ‘yung mga nandoon sa tinatawag ‘yung nandoon sa laylayan ng lipunan. One-hundred percent na po ang coverage ng mga indigents,” she added.

Nevertheless, given the report, Valte said that the government would strive to continuously improve the country's healthcare system particularly the public hospitals and rural health units.

The 2015 Quality of Death Index Ranking Palliative Care across the World is an Economist Intelligence Unit study commissioned by the Lien Foundation.

Overall results in five measures ranked the United Kingdom at the top, with the United States at 9th while China sits near the Philippines at 71st with Bangladesh and Iraq scoring lowest at 79th and 80th respectively. — Andrei Medina/DVM, GMA News