Reform Areas

Overview TAYO'Y MAMUHUNAN PARA SA IKALULUSOG NG PAMAYANAN!!! How are we doing in public health care delivery? * There is a double burden of diseases both from infectious and degenerative causes. * Only 13% of the national budget is spent on public health. * The health care delivery system is highly fragmented, resulting in very unequal sharing of health      services among population groups and regions. * There is poor technical leadership over the decentralized primary care system. The outcome is poor disease control, poor health especially of infants and mothers, early deaths for the most vulnerable sectors, and a greater number of people seeking treatment in hospitals for more complicated illnesses requiring greater financial cost. How can we improve this situation? * Public health or primary health aims to ensure that people are healthy through the prevention and control of diseases and the promotion and protection of health. * Relying entirely on treatment of diseases is expensive and irresponsible. * Prevention should be given equal if not more attention.  There is a saying, "an ounce of     prevention is better than a pound of cure." * The most sensible way to bring down the cost of health and ensure that everyone has access to     quality health care is through public health.  This is because public health focuses on promotive     and preventive services. Under Tulong-Sulong sa Kalusugan of the DOH, public health reforms aim to reduce the burden of infectious and degenerative diseases and promote health by increasing investments for public health programs. What will increase investments in public health entail? * Prioritization of programs and projects that are epidemiologically sound, sustainable, low-cost and high impact.   The DOH has identified the following priority impact programs: - Pharmaceuticals - Health insurance - Tuberculosis - Infectious diseases - Vectors-borne (Contagious) diseases - Vaccine-preventable diseases - Women's health - Children's health   * Increased financial investments for public health.  This means securing more funding over a period long enough to achieve the goals of eliminating disease, encouraging new investments for the development and implementation of health promotion and protection programs to address existing and emerging health    problems, and putting in place mechanisms to sustain these financing arrangements.   * Development and strengthening of technical expertise in public health practice.  The capabilities of central and regional health offices in providing technical leadership over local health systems need to be enhanced.  Technical leadership means good information and knowledge about new health technologies and practices.  It also means advocacy for scientifically proven and appropriate technologies and services.  There is a need to retrain and retool central and regional level health personnel.  Also needed is an orientation and training of local health personnel and local executives on national health goals, basic knowledge and technical skills to handle primary and secondary disease prevention and control.   * Upgrading of capabilities to manage public health programs and increased funding.  Management capabilities of central and local health managers and staff need to be improved.  Innovative approaches need to be developed.  Public health concepts need to be integrated into hospital services to provide continuity of health services.  Also needed are revitalized management systems for research, policy and standards development, research, disease surveillance, laboratory services, health information systems, and monitoring and evaluation.