Palace directs LGUs to establish health facilities

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered local government units to set up health facilities for their residents following the adoption of the country’s health facility development plan. 

Memorandum Circular 26, which was signed Tuesday, adopted the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan (PHFDP) 2020 to 2040, which serves as the country’s strategy for infrastructure and medical investments. 

The memorandum tasked the Department of Health to assist and support LGUs in translating the plan into long-term local health facility development plan, and to coordinate with local governments in formulating policies for the establishment of primary care provider networks and health care provider networks. 

The DOH will also monitor the implementation of the development plan of local health facilities and encourage LGus to enter into public-private partnerships to address the gaps in the PHFDP with the assistance of the Public-Private Partnership Center. 

The health agency, in collaboration with the trade department’s Board of Investments and the Fiscal Incentives Review Board, will formulate and implement policies that will encourage domestic and international enterprises to invest in health facilities.

In a statement, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa called the adoption of the plan a “milestone for health.” 

“By working with national and local government units, we shall be able to establish healthcare facilities that can stand the test of time, and build more primary care provider networks, specialty centers, and integrated healthcare provider networks within localities,” Herbosa said. 

According to the DOH, the plan follows a primary care-oriented and integrated health system—the service delivery model envisioned in the Universal Health Care Act of 2019. The PHFDP also outlines approaches for health facilities to be climate-resilient and environmentally-sustainable. — Gaea Katreena Cabico