EU grants Philippines fresh P1.8-B for health sector reform

MANILA, Philippines — The European Union (EU) has granted the Philippines P1.8 billion to help develop the country's health sector, with a third of the funding devoted to victims of super typhoon Yolanda.

The EU said in a statement Tuesday that two thirds of the grant will directly be channeled to the National Treasury as a complementary component of an earlier €9.5 million (P557 million) for the reform of the Department of Health (DOH) health delivery systems.

"The signing of the agreement increases the total support of the EU to the health sector to a total of € 118 million or approximately P7.2 billion between 2006 and 2018," the statement reads.

Attributed to the grant is the decline in child mortality from 28 in 1998 to 30 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2011 as well as the increase in the population's insurance coverage from 62 percent in 2010 to 83 percent in 2012 mostly for the poorest and most vulnerable families.

It also aided 27 provinces which have been declared free from malaria and helped keep the HIV and AIDS proportion below one percent of the population.

The agreement was signed by Europe Aid Cooperation for Asia Director Dirk Meganck, representing the European Union and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.

European Union Ambassador Guy Ledoux said the grant is an affirmation of the EU's commitment to ensure that disadvantaged and vulnerable people have access to quality health services through a more effective, efficient, and equitable health system.

Purisima, meanwhile, thanked the EU for the "very timely assistance" for the rehabilitation effort in Eastern Visayas ravaged by the powerful typhoon last year.

He said the aid also complements the government's direction toward enhancing delivery health systems.