Text by: Charmaine A. Lingdas
Photo by: Joseph A. Bautista
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa unveiled a comprehensive strategy aimed at revitalizing the healthcare landscape in the Philippines. In his speech addressing the retirees of the UP College of Medicine Faculty on March 5, 2024, Sec. Herbosa revealed eight strategic initiatives or ‘pillars’ which underscored the Department of Health’s concerted efforts to enhance the healthcare system across the nation.
The eight pillars to improve healthcare in the Philippines
The first pillar is meant to ensure a 95% immunization rate among children. The second pillar is dedicated to combating malnutrition, specifically targeting the alarming 26.7% stunting rate among children under the age of five, according to data released by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).
The third pillar aims to reduce maternal deaths, with a specific focus on addressing childhood pregnancies. Herbosa also challenged the use of the terminology “teenage pregnancy,” in accordance to the definitions of WHO and UNICEF.
“Don’t call it teen pregnancy. Stop calling it teenage pregnancy, it’s a childhood pregnancy. Ano ba ang definition ng WHO at ng UNICEF, anyone who is less than eighteen is a child and you refer them to a pediatrician. So if a child gets pregnant, let’s call it a childhood pregnancy, that’s not a teenage pregnancy,”
said Dr. Herbosa.
The fourth pillar confronts the dual challenge of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
The Philippines ranks fourth globally for TB cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis report. Meanwhile, HIV infection rates rose by 400% from 2012 to 2023. This represents 55 new cases detected per day, with a significant portion affecting children aged 15 or younger, according to DOH data.
Sec. Herbosa noted that many succumb to AIDS by age 18 due to barriers in obtaining parental consent for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). To combat this, Secretary Herbosa proposes a crucial amendment to facilitate timely treatment initiation, suggesting “Parental Assent” and involving doctors as guardians.
“The problem with the fifteen year olds [HIV patient]…they die of AIDS at eighteen, three years later, because they have to be given parental consent to get the ARV from PhilHealth…We need to fix the law and probably get doctors to actually do the approval,” he said.
The fifth pillar on improving the Philippine healthcare system emphasizes road safety while the sixth pillar is targeted at addressing non-communicable diseases, particularly the high prevalence of hypertension and diabetes. The seventh pillar calls for adopting global best practices and early detection like mammography and ultrasound for cancer detection. The eighth pillar explores digital technology to provide health services to the population.
Revamping Primary Care for a Healthier Nation, Sec. Herbosa emphasized the need to revisit essential public health principles and expressed concern about the lack of potable water in many areas in the country and drew from one of the most important lessons he learned in the College of Public Health: “the highest level of public health is to provide potable water to all households.”
An improvement in primary care services was also achieved by the DOH through the “Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service” (BUCAS) centers launched by the DOH recently. BUCAS centers offers advanced healthcare facilities and important services like specialist consultations, diagnostics, and surgery in community settings. He said the BUCAS centers are inspired by the PGH’s outpatient department that accommodates an estimated 6,000 patients daily. ■
