Can we do this? Will it happen?
I just got back from attending the 1st Health Financing Summit in Cebu entitled “Universal Health Care: The Role of Health Financing in Achieving Universal Health Care” at the Cebu Institute of Medicine Amphitheatre. This was made possible upon the invitation of Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go of Center for Development Management of the Asian Institute of Management. The summit was attended by local government officials, party-list representatives, the academe and NGO's. The British ambassador was there to share the National Health Service experience as well as the WHO Country Representative who talked on our country statistics and the Millenium Development Goals. Local speakers were also tapped to speak on the Philippine Health system. The summit's goal was to show that universal health care for Filipinos is very much possible if only we can all get our acts together. The money is there...it just needs to be tapped and budgeted wisely. The work force is there...it just needs to be motivated and given just compensation. The law is there...it just needs political will and implementation.
