To furthermore strengthen partnerships with patient groups towards the increasing access to health care services and medicines, the Department of Health conducted the 4th Policy Dialogue on Universal Healthcare and Access to Medicines at the Apo View Hotel, Davao City on Wednesday.
The dialogue focused on direct talks between Health Secretary Ubial and several patient groups in Davao City, with issues ranging from the agency’s Medicine Access Programs, Drug Price Regulation Mechanisms, to expounded discussions on the Presidential directive on access to cheaper medicines.
“We are working on reaching the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, like the Indegenous People, the street vendors, the urban poor, the people in institutions, so we can provide annual check up.” Ubial said.
She explained that one of the key objectives is to reach those who are in need but who are not able to avail themselves of healthcare services due to poverty and inadequate access.
DOH is currently studying in bringing into isolated areas their community-based programs, focusing more on emerging mental health issues, which already started in Region 8, and will soon be scaling up to the whole country.
Ubial announced that the government will be alloting a bigger health budget for 2018, amounting to P164-B which will mostly be dedicated to personnel services in line with the implementation of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL).
