Shocking Facts about Healthcare in the Philippines

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the Filipino Healthcare System is “fragmented.” This is due to the history of unfair and unequal access to health services that significantly affects the poor. The government spends little money on the program which causes high out of pocket spending and further widens the gap between rich and poor.

Out of the 90 million people living in the Philippines, many do not get access to basic care. The country has a high maternal and newborn mortality rate, and a high fertility rate. This creates problems for those who have especially limited access to this basic care or for those living in generally poor health conditions.

Healthcare in the Philippines suffers from a shortage of human medical resources, especially doctors. This makes the system run slower and less efficiently.

Filipino families who can afford private health facilities usually choose these as their primary option. Private facilities provide a better quality of care than the public facilities that lower income families usually go to. The public facilities tend to be in rural areas that are more run down. These facilities have less medical staff and inferior supplies.

Only 30 percent of health professionals employed by the government address the health needs of the majority. Healthcare in the Philippines suffers because the remaining 70 percent of health professionals work in the more expensive privately run sectors.

Why do We Need to Improve the Healthcare System in the Philippines?

The poor healthcare system that we currently have in our country has always been a hot issue for a very long time. Although improvements are already being made, it still not enough to supply the growing demands for medical healthcare of Filipinos. Every Filipino deserves the best healthcare, mostly those who are financially challenged. By improving the healthcare system that we have, we would be able to save more lives.

What would we gain from signing this petition?

We could make a change for the better. This could help increase the number of beds available per hospital to cater the medical needs of the people. We would be able to improve the run-down medical facilities in rural areas. The shortage of human medical resources such as doctors and nurses would be avoided. There would be an increase in medical devices needed for treatment of different illnesses. We could lower the cost of hospital bills. Especially now that we are in a pandemic, the need for a better healthcare system have never been greater.

By signing this petition we could make a difference and turn this dream into a reality!