USAid reaffirms partnership with DoH to strengthen PH health system
THE United States government through a representative from the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) has reaffirmed its partnership with the Department of Health (DoH) to strengthen the Philippine health system and address health challenges, including the fight against tuberculosis (TB) and HIV.
Dr. Atul Gawande, USAid assistant administrator for Global Health visited the Philippines from January 29 to February 1 and met with DoH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and key government partners to explore ways to strengthen primary health care in line with the Philippines’ Universal Health Care goals.
The US Embassy in Manila said the Philippines is one of seven focus countries for “Primary Impact,” USAid’s global flagship effort to enhance the delivery of primary health care in partner countries.
Through this program, the embassy said USAid supported the DoH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to roll out Universal Health Care, protecting families from falling into poverty due to healthcare costs.
At an event commemorating the completion of USAid health programs implemented in the Philippines between 2018 and 2023, Herbosa said the DoH is honored to be a partner of USAid in strengthening health systems, promoting positive social norms and behaviors, and improving the quality of primary health care.
“The DoH is committed to our partnership with USAid as we continue to work towards a healthy Philippines,” he said.
Gawande said the Philippine government is pursuing an ambitious plan to radically strengthen primary health care—the key scaffolding to enable longer life and better health for all Filipinos.
“USAid is proud to be a partner in ensuring the plan’s success,” he said. The embassy noted that from 2018 to 2023, USAid invested more than P14.6 billion in health programs in the Philippines to address TB and HIV, promote family planning, community-based drug rehabilitation, and mental health, and support the country’s Covid-19 response.
It said USAid’s partnership with the DoH has helped identify more than 750,000 people with TB and linked them to treatment and helped increase the TB case notification rate by 36 percent between 2022 and 2023.
Through the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) program, USAid also contributed to revolutionizing the Philippines’ HIV response by enrolling more than 24,800 people on pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP — an effective HIV prevention drug — and starting almost half of the country’s HIV treatment clients on the optimized drug regimen, TLD, which has fewer side effects.
The embassy said these were done through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief or Pepfar Program and to help ensure life-saving medicines and supplies are continuously available, USAid supported the DoH to digitally track their supply chain at national and regional levels. In developing community-based drug rehabilitation treatment protocols for low- and moderate-risk users, USAid established community-based drug rehabilitation services in 22 local government units.
On January 30, Gawande joined the DoH in Manila to commemorate World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day with the launch of the “Philippine Multi-Disease Elimination Plan” developed through technical advisory support from USAid.
USAid also trained health workers in disseminating information and monitoring cases of Neglected Tropical Disease lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic disease spread by infected mosquitoes that affects the lymph nodes and lymph vessels.
At the University of the Philippines Manila, Gawande also delivered a lecture to students, faculty and medical staff with an emphasis on the importance of building strong primary healthcare systems to contribute to economic development and stability.
He also met officials of the National Poison Management and Control Center to discuss the need to address lead poisoning which severely affects the health, development, and learning of children.
In Quezon City and Bataan, Gawande also visited health facilities where he engaged partner donors, local government officials, and communities to understand challenges and explore opportunities that can bolster Filipinos’ access to quality health care.