"Tulong-Sulong sa Kalusugan" is a program of this administration to uplift the health status of every Filipino, especially the poor, through vital reforms in our health system.  It has three pillars.

First, is the pillar of "pagtutulungan" or mutual assistance.  Our efforts to improve the health system should not be efforts of the national government alone.  They should be efforts of all concerned - the national government, local governments, private sector, civil society, professional associations, and people's organizations.  We need to help and support each other in order to succeed.

Second, is the pillar of "pagsulong" or moving forward in order to bring about meaningful changes in our health system.  We are moving to make high quality health care affordable to every Filipino by lowering the price of essential drugs and expanding the coverage of health insurance under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. 

Giving Filipinos, especially the poor, access to essential medicines is a key program of Tulong-Sulong sa Kalusugan.  The Handog ni GMA (Gamot na Mabisa at Abot-kaya) program of the Department of Health, with the Department of Trade and Industry, makes available affordable, high-quality drugs to LGUs.

These drugs are called Parallel Drug Imports or PDIs.  PDIs are medicines manufactured in another country by the same drug company and sold at much lower prices than in our country.

Government imports these drugs based on Purchase Orders or Requests by participating LGUs.  Nationwide, some 71 LGUs participate in the program.  These LGUs today account for a total of 50.7 million pesos of purchases of essential medicines.

Through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation - otherwise known as PhilHealth - Government gives Filipinos financial access to health services.  The Greater Medicare Access (GMA para sa Lahat) program is a special program for the poor with an expanded health package that now includes outpatient benefits.

Through this program, local governments can give universal social health coverage to their constituents. It ensures that people with illnesses do not become a burden.  It is a pro-poor benefit package that provides uniform benefits to all, with premium payments that can be made easily and conveniently.

Nationwide, some 1,036 LGUs participate in PhilHealth's indigent program.  A total of 2.9 million Filipinos from low-income households have been enrolled as of March this year.  The first Health Passport in the country was launched in Pasay City.  Under the leadership of Mayor Wenceslao "Peewee" Trinidad, Pasay City boasts of quality health services through its Sentrong Sigla and PhilHealth accredited health centers.  Some 7,613 indigent families in this city are actively enrolled in the National Health Insurance Program.

In addition to these reform efforts, we also are moving to raise the performance of our public hospitals.  We are helping local governments raise their capability to carry out health delivery programs.  And we are moving to upgrade our public health programs, such as the program on immunization.

Third and last, is the pillar of "kalusugan para sa lahat" or health for all.  A healthy citizenry is the foundation of a progressive nation.  This is especially true for the less privileged in our society.  We can protect and safeguard their welfare if they are healthy not only in body but in mind as well.

In the end, it is about the raising the quality of the country's human capital.  Pagtutulungan.  Pagsulong.  Kalusugan para sa lahat.  These are the three pillars of Tulong-Sulong sa Kalusugan.  This is a partnership that draws on the strength of our communities, governors, mayors, Provincial Health Officers, civil society groups, and partner government agencies, particularly the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and donor agencies like the United States Agency for International Development.

Philippines Chalks Up Modest Health Sector Reform Achievement But Needs to Address Risks

The Department of Health, with USAID support, organized a workshop in October 2002 to discuss the findings of a study that assessed the progress made after three years of implementing the Philippines Health Sector Reform Agenda. The program was launched in 1999 to improve the  performance of the health sector, and to address the inequities and inefficiencies in the delivery and financing of health services. The review, which was undertaken by a team led by Prof. Orville Solon of the University of the Philippines School of Economics, concluded that although most of target activities and outcomes have not been met, modest progress was achieved, mainly in social health insurance reform and in the eight LGU advance implementation or convergence sites. 

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MSH-HSRTAP Contributed Substantially to HSRA Implementation Progress

A review that was undertaken in October 2002 by a team led by Prof. Orville Solon of the U.P. School of Economics concluded that the USAID-funded Health Sector Reform Technical Assistance Project of the Management Sciences for Health was largely responsible for the modest progress achieved by the Philippines Health Sector Reform Agenda. The review identified five features of the project that contributed effectively to HSRA implementation: convergence strategy, demand driven support, having fixed targets but with flexible deliverables, the project as a venue for reform discussions, and top projects management committed to health sector reforms.

Convergence strategy. Although much more time and resources should have been spent on the convergence strategy, its work in the eight convergence sites produced positive results for MSH-HSRTAP. At the site level, the key elements of the HSRA were much clearer and real. Even with only a year’s worth of work, the outcome of efforts in building ILHZs, expanding IP enrollment, reforming local hospitals systems, and managing local drug procurement have already been felt. Perhaps, more important, the convergence strategy mitigated the adverse effect of political and administrative changes at the national level. Moreover, the results of convergence site development received acknowledgement even from the new DOH top leadership.

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