Legarda underscores mandate to provide quality healthcare services, adequate health workforce under Universal Health Care Act

Three-term Senator, now Deputy Speaker, Loren Legarda reminded today that the full implementation of the Universal Health Care Act mandates the regulation of the country’s health facilities and services and the support given to the healthcare workforce to enhance their capability to attend to the needs of the Filipino people.

“Now is the time, more than any other, when people require easy access to quality and affordable health care programs and services due to them. Two years after the approval of the Universal Health Care Act of 2019, many Filipinos are still in despair trying to gain access to the assistance intended for them and some are still suffering from the inequity in our healthcare system,” Legarda said.

“While we provided the people with access to full health assistance coverage to protect them from enduring financial hardship, we also have to make sure that our healthcare facilities are fully equipped and that there are sufficient number of health workers to effectively cater to the medical and health needs of our estimated 109 million population,” Legarda added.

Legarda explained that to cover the health needs and concerns of our citizens, especially the poor and marginalized, we have to educate the people and the healthcare sector that the law does not provide assistance alone but also aims to improve our hospitals and other health care facilities all over the country. Moreover, the two-year old law also provides assistance to our healthcare workers for their career advancement to ensure that they are not hindered from efficiently performing their duties.

“The benefits the Filipino people get from the UHC Law or RA 11223 will be deemed useless if we do not have health facilities and infrastructure that can keep up with technological advancements and cope with the challenges of new and emerging diseases. Going to hospitals or rural health units without professionals who are adequately trained is like putting yourself at greater health risk. A healthy country is a productive country. In light of our fight against this unprecedented health crisis, we have to bolster the competitiveness, efficiency and effectivity of the health sector” Legarda concluded.***