Baguio to institutionalize health care system

BAGUIO CITY: The City Council approved on third and final reading an ordinance institutionalizing universal health care (UHC) in the Summer Capital and prescribing reforms in the citywide health care system.

It can be remembered that in 2019, the Department of Health (DoH) chose Baguio City as a site for the advance implementation of Republic Act 11223 or the “Universal Health Care Act.”

Councilor Joel Alangsab, main proponent of the measure, coordinated with different concerned offices and individuals, and laid the groundwork for the revision of the institutionalized UHC.

Serving as one of the resource speakers during council deliberations and public consultations, Michael Capuyan, City DoH Office-UHC Development Management Officer 4, said the institutionalization and localization of the UHC, through a local legislation, will enhance and strengthen the implementation of the UHC Act.

The local law will also tailor-fit the UHC programs to the specific needs of the local government unit, he added.

The UHC will integrate all health systems in the city with the end goal of ensuring effective, efficient, and affordable delivery health services adhering to a framework that “fosters a whole-of-system, whole-ofgovernment, whole-of-society and people-oriented approaches.”

One complication that the UHC seeks to address is the fragmentation of the country’s current health system, particularly the fragmented health financing mechanism, resulting in health inefficiencies and health inequities.

Under Section 20 of the implementing rules and regulations of the UHC Act, a special health fund (SHF) will be established where all resources intended for health services are pooled and managed, including financial grants and subsidies from national government agencies, income from the Philippine Health Corp. and other sources such as, but not limited to, financial grants and donations from nongovernment organizations, faith-based organizations and official development assistance.

The SHF will be utilized in financing population-based and individual-based health services. It will also be used to cover operating costs, capital investments, and remuneration and incentives for all health workers.

An integrated procurement system is believed to expedite and organize the procurement process of health essentials needed by the city’s health facilities.

The Local Health Board assumes the responsibility of managing the SHF, thus having the authority to determine and approve the use of the pooled resources, as the law provides.