BAGUIO CITY – Baguio City will begin ground preparations for the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, the city being chosen as one of the pilot areas to enforce the UHC for a better public health system.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan last week ordered the creation of the UHC-Advance Implementation Site (AIS) Management Team (MT) and Technical Unit (TU) which will manage the implementation of the UHC-AIS plans in the city.
The management team will be headed by the mayor and City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo with the city council committee on health and sanitation, city accountant, city budget officer, city treasurer, city planning and development officer, the directors of the city Dept. of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Dept. of Health Center for Health Development Cordillera, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center and the PHilHealth regional office as members along with the private partners Baguio-Benguet Medical Society president, private hospital chiefs, laboratories and diagnostic centers and private pharmacies representatives.
The team will direct, oversee the operations and performance of the UHC-AIS, formulate policies and plans, facilitation technical, managerial and financial actions as well as the monitoring and evaluation of results.
The technical unit will be led by Dr. Galpo with the following as members: Health Care Services Providers Network (HCSPN) Coordinator Dr. Celia Flore Brillantes, Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator Dr. Maria Alice Torres, Health Management Information System and City Epidemiology and Surveillance Coordinator Dr. Donnabel Panes, Health Education Promotion and Advocacy Coordinator Marieta Hoven and Philhealth concerns coordinator Dr. Dandeo Galog.
The TU will organize and oversee the day-to-day operations of the HCSPN and provide update to the MT, prepare plans including the communication and advocacy plan, advocate for UHC among stakeholder, manage information integration, data management and analysis and provide assistance and information on Philhealth-related concerns.
The teams will be supported by the secretariat composed of Benny Abenoja, Josephine Bay-ed and Brigette Angway of the City Health Services Office.
The UHC Act or Republic Act No. 11223 entitled “An Act Instituting (UHC) for All Filipinos prescribing reforms in the Health Care System…” aims to “address health system fragmentation and reorient the same towards primary health care, through network-based contracting of health care providers and reorganization of the public health system into a city-wide system.”
The mayor said that in line with the UHC, the city “must undergo necessary reforms in its health system with the direction and assistance of the DOH toward better health outcomes, responsive health system and financial risk protection.”
“Our aim is to successfully implement the Universal Health Care Act in the city,” the mayor said. ** Aileen P. Refuerzo
