Public and private sector stakeholders from Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines converged at the Universal Health Care Forum 2015 to share their insights and learn lessons from each country’s ongoing journey toward universal health coverage.
Now on its fourth year, the UHC Forum is a series of annual multistakeholder policy forums conceptualized and organized by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) and Novartis.
Held on Nov. 6 at the Makati Diamond Residences in Makati, UHC Forum 2015 focused on the theme “Are citizens benefiting from UHC?” It was coorganized by Universitas Indonesia School of Public Health; the Social Security Organizing Body (BPJS), the lead UHC implementor of Indonesia; and the Vietnam Ministry of Health.
Dr. Manuel M. Dayrit, former health secretary and current ASMPH dean, said: “UHC Forum 2015 builds on the learnings from the three previous forums and broadens stakeholder engagement in the region. We learned new lessons from our Indonesian and Vietnamese colleagues while sharing our insights with them, as we all strive to achieve our common goal of universal health coverage.”
Health Secretary Janette Garin said: “Public-private partnerships and Kalusugan Pangkalahatan [universal healthcare], two flagship programs of the Philippine government, are the driving forces behind the UHC Forum series. Only through the collaboration of government and private sector stakeholders can we ensure that all Filipinos are able to receive affordable and quality health services.”
Dr. Benjamin Lane, officer-in-charge of the World Health Organization Philippine Representative Office, said: “The UHC Forum 2015 is one of the platforms for sustaining the dialogue on universal healthcare in the region and following through on the actions that need to be done. We hope that priority can be put on ensuring access to the key interventions targeting the health Millennium Development Goals. At the same time, we should also work together to address the growing problem of noncommunicable diseases.”
Sharing expertise
PhilHealth president and CEO Alexander A. Padilla said: “We thank our colleagues from Indonesia and Vietnam for sharing their insights and expertise in this important forum. While we have made some headway in reducing inequities in healthcare access, there are still many gaps and challenges that need to be addressed. All concerned stakeholders must continue to work together in order to make universal healthcare a reality.”
Jason Smith, head of Asia Cluster, Novartis AG, said: “One of the key objectives of the UHC Forum series is to ensure financial risk protection to prevent people from being pushed into poverty when they have to pay for health services out of their own pockets. Novartis shares our partner-stakeholders’ belief that universal health coverage is a critical component of sustainable development and poverty reduction, and a key element of any effort to reduce social inequities.”
Novartis Healthcare Philippines president and managing director Dr. Nikolaos Tripodis said: “Universal health coverage cannot be achieved overnight, but we can work together to move more quickly towards this goal and sustain the gains that we have already made. Novartis is committed to collaborating with key stakeholders in the Philippines and the region in enhancing access to health services, strengthening health systems and finding innovative and sustainable ways of health financing.”
Speakers
Speakers during opening plenary were lawyer Sedfrey Candelaria, dean of the Ateneo de Manila Law School (on behalf of Dayrit); Lane, team lead, Health Services and Systems, Representative Office to the Philippines of the WHO; and Health Undersecretary Lilibeth David (on behalf of Garin).
Among the session 1 speakers were Padilla; Dr. Prastuti Soewondo, trustee of BPJS Kesehatan Advisory Board; and Dr. Hoang Thi Phuong, vice head of Health Economics Department/Health Strategy and Policy Institute, Ministry of Health, Vietnam.
Speakers for session 2 were Dr. Hasbullah Thabrany, Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies, Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia; and Dr. Tong Thi Song Huong, director of Health Insurance Department, Ministry of Health, Vietnam.
Also part of the panel session on implementation of LGUs and healthcare providers were Dr. Leopoldo Vega, chief of Southern Philippines Medical Center; Dr. Gerardo Manzo, assistant director for medical services, Philippine Heart Center; Dr. Julius Drilon, chief of the Corazon L. Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital Medical Center Bacolod and Dr. Romina Danguilan, chair of the Department of Adult Nephrology, National Kidney and Transplant Institute.
Session 3 speakers were Dr. Caroline Mae Ramirez, deputy principal investigator at Ateneo Center for Health Evidence, Action and Leadership; Tripodis; and Rubin Magno, charity assistance department manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (on behalf of Jose Ferdinand Rojas II, PCSO general manager.
Dr. Andy Bushell, global program head of Diabetes Portfolio Novartis AG; Dr. Eduardo Banzon, senior health specialist at the Regional and Sustainable Development Department, Asian Development Bank; and Dr. Maria Elena Herrera, chair at the Strategic Management Department, Asian Institute of Management were the speakers for session 4.