The Unilab Foundation, through its research and policy arm Unilab Center for Health Policy (UCHP), has partnered with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) to jointly discover and address barriers to the effective and accelerated implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act on the local level.
Formalized with the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), the partnership will tackle fragmented policies, processes, proficiencies, and systems hindering the flexibility of local government units (LGUs) to implement UHC reforms. That is aligned with the mandate to empower LGUs in order that the devolution of the healthcare delivery function from the national government doesn’t result in the inconsistent implementation of health services across different localities.
UCHP and ULAP will even pilot programs in chosen LGUs to show the sensible implementation of UHC on the local level, with the intent of using lessons from the bottom to tell national policy, and of replicating best practices in additional areas.
“[This MoU] reflects our shared understanding that Universal Health Care is ultimately realized when governance meets execution which is on the local level, and that this can’t be done by government alone. We want the support of all stakeholders,” said ULAP National President and Quirino Governor Dakila Carlo “Dax” Cua.
“Many challenges we face today are structural and systemic. No single institution can address problems in isolation. For this reason partnerships matter. We’re hopeful that this partnership will proceed to grow, expanding from policy and systems, strengthening toward deeper collaboration and repair delivery models, innovation, and efforts that deliberately reach the unreached and underserved Filipino, particularly in communities where access to quality healthcare stays most fragile,” he added.
For his part, Unilab Foundation Executive Director Atty. Jose Maria Ochave said UCHP’s role is to partner with government leaders to assist them achieve their vision for his or her constituents.
“Our role is to point out that certain things can work and could be implemented. However the ones who can really move the needle remains to be government. Those who can move the needle essentially the most in the approaching years will likely be the local government because that’s where governance is felt essentially the most by the people,” he said.
The UCHP is a program of the Unilab Foundation that empowers LGUs to grow to be self-reliant and successful implementers of UHC by supporting policy development, enabling evidence-based decision-making, and providing holistic technical assistance that strengthens local execution.
Recently, the UCHP commissioned a study which found that a big portion of local health budgets goes to personnel salaries, leaving little funds for actual health programs and services. The study was lauded by the Department of Budget and Management as a useful tool in its campaign to maximise local resources.
UCHP also recently partnered with the local government of Ormoc City to develop and implement a UHC-aligned primary care service delivery framework for geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities.