Joint congressional panel to address health system ills eyed

Marikina City Representative Stella Quimbo has proposed the creation of a joint congressional committee to address the ills of the country’s healthcare system such as poor health outcomes, lack of access to quality care, and inefficient allocation of resources.

In House Resolution 1436, Quimbo said the joint congressional committee will be responsible for the thorough review, assessment, and evaluation of the performance of the offices involved in providing access and financing of health care.

“Inequities and inefficiencies that continue to plague the health care system, even with the implementation of landmark health care reform pieces in the last three decades. This (joint congressional panel) will serve as the first step toward a potential overhaul of the system,” the lawmaker said in a statement.

The landmark health measures, Quimbo said, include the creation of a National Health Insurance Program (RA 7875), the devolution of health care to local governments (RA 7160), the promotion of the use of generic drugs (RA 6675), and the universality in PhilHealth coverage (RA 11223), along with other reform initiatives such as the Department of Health’s “Health Sector Reform Agenda,” the “FOURmula One (F!),” and the F1 Plus for health, Kalusugang Pangkalahatan.”

“Shortage in medical personnel, lack of capacity in hospital space, lack of focus on preventive care, unsuccessful efforts to address HIV cases, adolescent pregnancy and infant mortality rate all point to a poor health care system of the country, and almost half of patients covered by PhilHealth pay for their medical expenses out-of-pocket and that any reimbursements by PhilHealth are insufficient to cover hospital expenses,” she pointed out.

“Despite its noble intent, PhilHealth is yet to meet its targets and its failures and doubts on its readiness warrant a reassessment and a review of its implementation strategies,” she added.

Quimbo further said the devolution of the health care system, which has since exposed the lack of capacity in local government units to finance devolved health care systems, also calls for a closer look at how certain health programs are being implemented or possibly even a revisit of the policies behind them.

She also said the current trends show that four out of 10 registered deaths occur outside the care of a medical professional and that almost 93% of Filipinos choose to self-medicate instead of seeking professional help when they are sick.

“The numbers suggest the lack of access to a medical professional even in the face of fatal medical conditions. Without a much-needed reform, the country is facing a resurgence of HIV infections, continue to fail in the treatment of tuberculosis, a rise in the number of deaths of children from malnutrition, and a continuing failure to meet targets in efforts to address infant mortality rate and teen pregnancy,” she added.

The shortage of doctors and nurses in the country, Quimbo said, must also be urgently addressed given that 316,000 nurses went overseas to practice their profession in 2021 alone.

The House leader also said that the situation is even more problematic for physicians, in which the time to close the current gap can take up to 23 years.

“The Philippines currently lags behind in meeting many of the previously set performance targets on Sustainable Development Growth (SDG), which are specific to good health and well-being. There is a need to come up with a more timely approach to the current and quickly evolving health care situation,” Quimbo said.

“In addition to expanding access and financing, efforts should also be stepped up in data collection and health information sharing system,” she added.

House Resolution 1436 provides that the joint congressional panel will be composed of five senators and five House members and will be co-chaired by the chair of the Senate committee on health and demography and the chair of the House committee on health.—AOL, GMA Integrated News