UHC

Universal Health Care Law

An act instituting universal health care for all Filipinos, prescribing reforms in the health care system, and appropriating funds therefor

Universal Health Care Law RA

Republic Act 11223

Integrated and Comprehensive Approach

Ensure health literacy, healthy living, and protection from hazards and risks

People-oriented approach

Centered on people’s needs and well-being

Whole-of-system, whole-of-government, whole-of-society

Multi-sectoral approach in health policy development

Health care without financial hardship

Comprehensive services through equitable financing mechanisms

Primary Care Provider Network

Frontline health services in communities

Health Promotion Programs

Campaigns and community education

Epidemiologic Surveillance

Disease monitoring and prevention

Emergency Preparedness

Disaster response and public health emergencies

Health Promotion Bureau-Transformation & Mandate

• Transformed from Health Promotion and Communication Service (HPCS)

• Formulation of national strategy for health literacy

• Policy coordination across government instrumentalities

• Health promotion programs and activities across social determinants of health

• Technical support to local research and development

Settings-Based Health Promotion

School settings, community settings, workplace and others

School Settings

• Health promotion in curriculum

• DepEd schools as healthy settings

Community Settings

• LGU health ordinances

• Community health literacy programs

Workplace & others

• Healthy work environment

• Primary care facilities

LGU Mandate

• enact stricter ordinances to promote health literacy and healthy lifestyle

• Create supportive environments where healthy choices are easy and obvious

• Enable Filipinos to understand their right to health

Role of Health Promotion in UHC

Prevention and wellness, Community empowerment, Equity and Access, Cost-effectiveness

Prevention & Wellness

Reducing disease burden through primary prevention strategies and health education

Community Empowerment

Building health literacy so people can make informed decisions about their health

Equity and Access

Addressing social determinants to reduce health disparities across populations

Cost-Effectiveness

Prevention reduces need for expensive curative services, lowering overall healthcare costs

Health Promotion Supporting Primary Care

• YAKAP Package Promotion

• Preventive Services Integration

• Community Health Events

• Health education at Point of Care

YAKAP Package Promotion

Barangay health workers promote primary care benefits and encourage registration

Preventive Services Integration

Health Promotion programs drive participation in screening and immunization

Community Health Events

Organized campaigns to connect communities with primary care services

Health Education at Point of Care

Primary care facilities serves as venues for health literacy services

Resource & Financing Challenges

• Limited Budget Allocation

• LGU Funding Constraints

• Competing Priorities

• PhilHealth Payment Focus

Limited Budget Allocation

1% of DOH budget may be insufficient for comprehensive nationwide programs

LGU Funding Constraints

Local government units lack adequate funding for health promotion activities

Competing Priorities

Prevention competes with curative services for limited resource

PhilHealth Payment Focus

Insurance payments prioritize individual-based services over population-based prevention

Capacity and Workforce Challenges

Human Resource Gaps and Capacity Building Needs

Human Resource Gaps

• Health workforce shortage due to outmigration

• Limited personnel trained in health promotion

• Barangay health workers lack adequate training and support

• High turnover in community health positions

Capacity Building Needs

• Training programs for health promotion specialists

• LGU capacity to design and implement programs

• Skills in community mobilization and behavior change communication

• Leadership development for health promotion initiatives

Multi-Sectoral Coordination

• Health promotion requires collaboration across DOH, DepEd, DILG, and LGUs with different mandates and priorities

• Coordination mechanisms are weak or poorly resourced

Decentralization Issues

• LGU autonomy creates variations in commitment and implementation quality

• Provincial/city health system integration is not compulsory, making standardization difficult

Fragmentation of Services

• Overlapping financing roles and weak incentives for service integration

• Health promotion activities often disconnected from clinical services

Behavioral and Cultural Challenges

• Mindset Shift Challenge

• Low Health Literacy

• Knowledge-Action Gap

• Socioeconomic Barriers

Mindset Shift Challenge

Moving from treatment-focused to prevention focused healthcare requires cultural change among providers and communities

Low Health Literacy

Many Filipinos lack basic health literacy to understand prevention messages and make informed decisions

Knowledge Action Gap

Awareness about PhilHealth benefits is low (few indigent families know about no balance billing entitlement)

Socioeconomic Barriers

Daily survival priorities often override health promotion messages for vulnerable populations

Monitoring & Evaluation Challenges

• Long-Term Impact Assessment

• Data Systems and Indicators

• Resource Intensive

Long-Term Impact Assessment

• Health promotion outcomes (behavior change, disease prevention) take years to manifest

• Difficult to demonstrate immediate results in short political cycles

Data Systems and Indicators

• Limited standardized indicators for health promotion activities

• Weak health information systems at LGU level

• Challenges in attributing health outcomes specifically to health promotion interventions

Resource Intensive

• Comprehensive monitoring requires resources that are already scarce

• Trade-off between program implementation and evaluation activities

Strategic Priorities for Moving Forward

• Strengthen Health Promotion Bureau capacity and resources

• Develop standardized health promotion indicators and M&E frameworks

• Invest in workforce training and capacity building at all levels

• Improve multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms

• Increase budget allocation beyond the 1% minimum

• Develop context-appropriate communication strategies for diverse populations