Wellness,

hospitals and clinics, and impoverishing healthcare costs, among many others.

Meanwhile, as the country’s health system continues to move forward, President Rodrigo R. Duterte rolled out the Philippine Health Agenda 2016-2022 last year. Dubbed as “All for Health Towards Health For All,” the program aims for financial protection, better health outcomes, and responsiveness for all Filipinos.

Through harnessing the potential of ICT in the field of health care, one of the targets of the program is a functional network of health facilities that are fully equipped and are enhanced by telemedicine.

To achieve its targets, the agenda states that part of the government’s strategies is to further invest in eHealth. World Health Organization defines eHealth as the use of ICT for health, which can reduce health care costs to families and improve equitable access to quality services.

Part of the strategies in investing in eHealth includes the mandate to use electronic records in all health facilities; make online submission of clinical, drug dispensing, administrative and financial records a prerequisite for registration, licensing, and contracting; commission nationwide surveys, streamline information systems, and support efforts to improve local civil registration and vital statistics; automate major business processes and invest in warehousing and business intelligence tools; and facilitate ease of access of researchers to available data.

All these efforts and programs aimed to improve the country’s health system is part of the government’s vision for the Philippines as a country where the marginalized are protected from high cost of health care, and that Filipinos will feel respected and empowered when it comes to their health. —