Bacolod council supports UHC-IS
THE BACOLOD City Council has approved a resolution strongly supporting the letter of Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to Maria Rosario Singh Vergeire, officer-in-charge of the Department of Health (DOH), expressing the intention of the city to be one of the Universal Healthcare Integration Site (UHC-IS).
Councilor Claudio Puentevella, who authored the resolution, said that Bacolod represented by Benitez, signified the intent making it as one of the advanced implementer cities of Republic Act (RA) 11223 otherwise known as the Universal Health Care Act.
He said the RA 11223 is enacted pursuant to the policy of the state to protect and promote the right to health of all Filipinos and instill health consciousness among them.
“The Universal Health Care Act mandates that every Filipino will be granted immediate eligibility and access to promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care for medical, dental, mental and emergency health services,” he said.
Puentevella added that it also decrees that the program membership for the National Health Insurance Program be simplified to direct contributors and indirect contributors.
Puentevella, chairperson of the City Council committee on health, noted that the Universal Healthcare Act adopts policies such as an integrated and comprehensive approach to ensure that all Filipinos are health literate, provided with healthy living conditions and protected from hazards and risks that could affect their health.
A health care model that provides all Filipinos access to a comprehensive set of quality and cost effective promotive, preventive, curative rehabilitation and palliative health services without causing financial hardship and prioritizes the needs of the population who cannot afford such services.
A framework that fosters a whole-of-system, whole of government, and whole of society approach in the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of health policies, programs and plans, and a people-oriented approach for the delivery of health services that is centered on people’s needs and well-being and cognizant of the differences in culture, values and beliefs, Puentevella said.
He said the objectives of the Universal Healthcare Act also include progressively realize universal health care in the country through a system approach and clear delineation of roles of key agencies and stakeholders towards better performance in the health system and ensure that all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health care goods and services and protected against financial risks.