ROCREO, KEVIN JAMES M.

MM 201

Review of Health
Related Laws
UHC Act in the Philippines: a new dawn for health care
 [Republic Act No. 11223]

AN ACT INSTITUTING UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL FILIPINOS,

PRESCRIBING REFORMS IN THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Nature and Scope

The Universal Health Care (UHC) Bill (Republic Act No. 11223) was signed into
law, automatically registering all Filipino citizens in the National Health Insurance
Program and prescribing complementary healthcare reforms. This provides citizens with
access to the full range of healthcare services they require while preventing them from
incurring financial burdens. The Act and its spirit shall be enforced in their entirety by
the Law, which shall embody the following principles:

● An effective and holistic approach to ensuring that all Filipinos are health-literate,
have a healthy environment and are safe from risks and hazards to their health.
● A health-care framework that gives all Filipinos access to an extensive set of
high-quality, cost-effective, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative
health services while prioritizing the needs of those who cannot afford such
assistance.
● A framework for developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating healthcare
policies, initiatives, and projects that promotes a whole-of-system,
whole-of-government, and whole-of-society concept.
● A people-centered approach to health-care delivery that is mindful of cultural,
value, and belief differences.

Significance of the Law

Health laws are being used to institutionalize a commitment to goals, such as

universal health coverage, to create a drive for action. People use the law to establish
various organizations (such as hospitals) and relationships to facilitate cooperation and
achieve health goals (such as contracts for providing health services). The goals of
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UHC are to ensure that all people have access to quality health care, to protect all
people from public health risks, and to protect all people from illness-related poverty,
whether from out-of-pocket payments for health care or loss of income when a
household member becomes ill. The law aims to use ICT to deliver health services that
have the potential to be profitable, improve quality, change practice conditions, and
improve healthcare coverage, particularly in rural and other remote communities.

Impact of the Law in addressing current health issues and concerns

Access to high-quality hospitals and healthcare facilities will be improved through

a variety of innovative approaches. First, the quality of government-owned and operated
hospitals and health facilities is to be improved to accommodate greater capacity,
respond to all types of emergencies, and treat noncommunicable diseases. The Health
Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP) will provide funds to hospitals to improve their
readiness for trauma and other emergencies. The goal of HFEP was to upgrade 20% of
DOH-retained hospitals, 46% of provincial hospitals, 46% of district hospitals, and 51%
of rural health units (RHUs) by the end of 2011.

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References:
https://www.who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/detail/uhc-act-in-the-philippi
nes-a-new-dawn-for-health-care

https://doh.gov.ph/kalusugang-pangkalahatan