Drilon bucks plan to stop UHC Law

SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has opposed the plan of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to postpone the full implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.

The senator said the UHC Law was critical in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 ( Covid-19) pandemic.

“Postponing the full implementation of the Universal Health Care Act is a huge misstep,” Drilon said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The precarious state of our current health care system is indeed very alarming. It affects our ability to win the war against this pandemic,” he added.

Halting the implementation of a law that would “promote access to affordable care, strengthen our primary health care and make our people healthy to fight the virus is a step in the wrong direction,” he stressed.

He admitted the need to address PhilHealth’s funding concerns, but not at the expense of the people who rely on UHC for their health needs.

Drilon said the coronavirus pandemic revealed the weaknesses and inequity in the health care system, which the UHC Act sought to address.

“Our neighboring countries like South Korea and Singapore are faring better in the war against Covid- 19, precisely because of their effective universal health care coverage,” he said.

“If Covid-19 taught us one thing, it is that we need to keep people healthy and we have to prepare for the next pandemic,” he added.

Drilon said postponing the full implementation of the UHC Law could discourage poor people from seeking hospital treatment or primary health care, even if they experience Covid-19 symptoms.

The senator vowed to seek higher budget for the implementation of the law in the 2021 budget.

He called on the Department of Budget to increase funding for the health sector in the national expenditure program for 2021.

“If we learned anything about the onset of the pandemic, it is that the health sector must get a big part of the budgetary pie. Health of the people is the State’s responsibility,” Drilon said.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd gave assurances on the government’s commitment to implement the Universal Health Care program.

“The government is committed to UHC particularly to ensure access of our most vulnerable groups to much needed healthcare especially during this difficult time,” Dominguez told reporters via Viber on Wednesday.

His comment was sought after Philhealth President and Chief Executive Officer Ricardo Morales, in a recent joint congressional committee hearing, called for the delayed implementation of the program due to lack of funds.

Dominguez said discussions are ongoing to address Philhealth’s concern.

“We are currently discussing with Philhealth and the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) on how to address funding challenges and ensure continued implementation of UHC,” he said.

The UHC program aims to provide Filipino families equitable access to quality and affordable health care services. Under the 2020 national budget, the government allocated P175.8 billion for the program. Of which, P71.4 billion will fund the National Health Insurance Program of Philhealth.

Based on government estimates, the funding requirement for the UHC program could reach as high as P1.44 trillion combined from 2020 to 2024.