Kalayaan Hall, Malacañan Palace
May 22, 2024
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. presided over a sectoral meeting to discuss updates on the country’s primary care and the National Health Workforce Support System (NHWSS) at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañan Palace.
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa gave an overview of the Philippine health system beginning with Republic Act (RA) No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, RA No. 10606 or the National Health Insurance Act of 1995, RA No. 10351 or the Sin Tax Reform Act of 2012 and RA No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act of 2019.
In the context of Universal Health Care, ‘primary care’ refers to initial-contact, accessible, continuous, comprehensive and coordinated care that is accessible at the time of need, including a range of services for all presenting conditions. It also means the ability to coordinate referrals to other health care providers in the healthcare delivery system, when necessary.
Secretary Herbosa presented the Department’s new set of programs dedicated for the primary care services in the country, such as the BUCAS (Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services) Centers under the ‘DOH Modernization for Health Equity’ framework which covers the establishment of 28 Ambulatory and Urgent Care Centers primarily for the 28 million poorest Filipinos by 2028. As of 20 May 2024, there are 10 BUCAS Centers already functional, with an additional eight (8) centers to be opened by June.
Other interventions include the Bagong Pilipinas Mobile Clinics and the PuroKalusugan that directly delivers public health services (including maternal and child health; immunization program; water, sanitation and hygiene; and nutrition program, among others) to ‘puroks’ or barangay units through the NHWSS under the supervision of Centers for Health Development.
Noting the need to augment the country’s health workforce, the Secretary likewise presented the National Human Resources for Health Master Plan 2020-2040, a multi-sectoral plan that provides policy and strategic directions to guide the management and development of the country’s human resources for health, as aligned to the goals of the Universal Health Care Act.
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