INAPRUBAHAN ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. ang panukala ng Department of Health (DOH) na lumikha ng coordinating council na mangangasiwa sa pagpapatupad ng Universal Health Care (UHC) Act sa bansa.
Inihayag ito ni Health Secretary Ted Herbosa sa ginanap na press briefing sa Malacañang nitong Martes, Oktubre 24.
Aniya, sa pamamagitan ng naturang council, ay i-standardize ng pamahalaan ang mga patakarang pangkalusugan.
“The President approved the Department of Health’s proposal of creating a Universal Health Care Coordinating Council through an executive order,” saad ni Sec. Ted Herbosa, DOH.
Ang konseho ay magsisilbing national governance body na mangangasiwa sa implementasyon ng Universal Health Care Act sa buong bansa.
Pangangasiwaan din ng nasabing council ang mga proyekto at budget para sa UHC gayundin ang pagpapatupad ng Universal Health Care sa antas ng lokal na pamahalaan.
“It will serve as the venue to discuss relevant concerns that might be raised during the implementation of UHC,” ani Herbosa.
Ang DOH ang magsisilbing council chair at ang Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) ang magsisilbing co-chair, ayon kay Herbosa.
Sinabi pa ng kalihim na ang konseho ay bubuuin ng Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT); Department of Budget and Management (DBM); Department of Finance (DOF), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) at marahil ang Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), at Department of Education (DepEd).
UHC Coordinating Council, titiyakin ang transparency at accountability sa paggastos ng special health fund—DOH
Samantala, susubaybayan ng Universal Health Care (UHC) Coordinating Council ang paggastos ng special health fund ng mga local government units (LGUs) at mga local health system.
Sinabi ni Herbosa na ang UHC Coordinating Council ang magtitiyak ng transparency at accountability sa paggastos ng Special Health Fund.
“That’s where the council would be able to police or monitor how LGUs and local health systems will be spending funds or income from PhilHealth, income from the other local government units and how the health system can be improved because our health systems are diverse– some are very good, some are very weak so, depending on what their levels are– that’s how the spending will come,” dagdag ni Herbosa.
Sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 11223 o ang UHC Act, ang province-wide o city-wide health system ay dapat mapangasiwaan sa pamamagitan ng isang special health fund.
Una rito, nagbigay ang Health Department ng update kay Pangulong Marcos tungkol sa implementasyon ng Universal Health Care Act.
Ito ay sa ginanap na sectoral meeting sa Malacañang nitong umaga ng Martes.
Sa ilalim ng UHC Act, na pinagtibay noong Pebrero 2019, sisikapin ng DOH, DILG, PhilHealth at LGUs na i-integrate ang healthcare sa isang province at city-wide healthcare systems.
Mula noong 2021, iniulat ni Herbosa na 71 LGUs ang nangakong i-integrate ang kanilang local health systems.
