Many Filipino are yet to escape the grasp of poverty.

This prohibits them in many things, that

even their rights aren't within their reach, like in accessing quality health care. As a result, they end up
being hopeless and eventually giving up. So, it is really is a good news that the government is finally on
the move. The Republic Act 11223 otherwise known as Universal Health Care Act was officially signed by
President Rodrigo Duterte on February 20, 2020. This gives citizens access to the full continuum of
health services they need, while protecting them from enduring financial hardship as a result. It is
indeed a great news.

In Chapter II section 6 of the act, it is stated that "Every Filipino shall be granted immediate
eligibility and access to preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care for medical,
dental, mental and emergency health services, delivered either as population-based or individual-based
health services." The section says every, which means equity and equality is exercised here. However,
despite the fact that the act has lots of benefits, there are also lots of flaws. Those flaws will make it
difficult to achieve the goals and objectives of the said acts.

In the given section, it states every, which means all. That is the problem, because first, we have
shortage in health care providers and health care facilities. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare
professionals continue to leave the country, and without enough of them, service delivery will surely be
compromised. In the Philippines, the doctor to patient ratio is 1:33,000, which is significantly higher than
the global average of 1:6,600. Second, there is just one hospital bed for every 1,121. This ratio has the
chance to grow because the population of the Philippines is forecast to grow from 105 million in 2018 to
142 million by 2045. Hospitals and the availability of beds are not growing quickly enough to keep pace
with the rising population. Moreover, will the budget be enough to cover every Filipino and the
expansion of health care system? This will surely give additional pressure to the government budget.

These are the predicted results of the above mentioned statements. First, it may limit services.
The more the patient is, the lesser the time of care the nurse will give to each patient. As we have
discussed, their ratio is far from the ideal. Within a system of universal health care, health care
professionals are often assigned more patients than they can legitimately handle. They may rush
through the nursing processes without thorough examinations. This will as well limit the accuracy of
patient care especially that we lack in resources. Next, it requires significant budgeting skills. The
demand of health care facilities is high because it needs improvement and development. And a big
amount of budget is necessary for the implementation of the act. Another, the fund for universal health
care might be given too much attention, and there might be neglect for the other branches of the
government.

The Universal Health Care Act is great, however there are lot of things to consider before
achieving its goals. Lack of health care providers, lack of health care facilities, and lack of fund will be a
hindrance in section 6 of the act. A hindrance in the provision of immediate eligibility and access to
preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care. We're closer to providing universal
healthcare for all Filipinos, but there is still a long way to go. However, it's still a good start.
References:

https://www-m--scribe-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.m-scribe.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-
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%2Fwww.m-scribe.com%2Fblog%2Fpros-and-cons-of-universal-healthcare-aka-medicare-for-all

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aseantoday.com/2019/02/healthcare-for-all-in-the-philippines-
but-is-there-a-catch/amp/

https://rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/analysis-reasons-philippines-universal-health-care-still-not-
quite-there-yet

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-universal-health-care#what-is-universal-health-care

https://vittana.org/17-universal-health-care-pros-and-cons

https://www.who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/detail/uhc-act-in-the-philippines-a-new-dawn-
for-health-care#:~:text=Duterte%20has%20just%20signed%20a,reforms%20in%20the%20health
%20system.