Universal Health Care eyed to boost city’s anti-TB drive

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu City Councilor Prisca Niña Mabatid has proposed an ordinance adopting the initial implementation of Universal Health Care (UHC) using the city’s tuberculosis control program.

This is to strengthen and support all activities of the program to attain a tuberculosis-free community. The proposed measure was referred to the committee on laws, ordinances, and styling for review.

The UHC implementation aims to initiate the integration of the managerial, technical/clinical, and financial aspects of a local health system following provisions of the UHC Act and establish mechanisms for contracting private providers to augment the local government health system, using TB as the tracer program, among others.

Section 4 of the proposed ordinance states that it shall cover the initial implementation of UHC Act in Barangays Mambaling and Pasil, with possible eventual rollout to other barangays with high concentration of urban poor, urban and rural populations residing in disaster-prone, geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas with highest prevalence of TB, hazard/conflict-prone areas, among others.

In the management and initial implementation of the UHC Act through the Cebu City-wide TB Elimination Campaign (CiTEC), the city shall partner with Central Visayas Center for Health Development and PhilHealth Regional Office-7.

Among the duties and responsibilities of the city in the implementation are to include in its City Investment Plan for Health and Annual Operational Plan the activities for the initial implementation and indicate in its annual budget the corresponding counterpart funds for the CiTEC; issue executive instruments or local legislations for contracting citywide health systems, manage the program resources and ensure the delivery of inputs and improve information management to ensure shared responsibilities and accountabilities among all members of the health systems; and integrate health offices, health centers, hospitals, and other city-managed health facilities to constitute the citywide health system to provide preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative component of healthcare within the city, and linked to an apex or end-referral hospital, to name a few.

Section 6 states to carry out the provisions of the ordinance, once approved, the Office of the City Mayor shall provide the necessary funding/allocation in cash and in kind amounting to P5 million to cover the initial implementation of the UHC. — FPL (FREEMAN)