In his first State of the Nation address, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked lawmakers for help to strengthen the country’s health care system and be better prepared for future health crises.
In his speech, Marcos Jr., who is the son and namesake of the late dictator, announced plans to establish the Philippines’ own Center for Disease Prevention and Control, as well as a vaccine institute. He also proposed legislation establishing a medical reserve corps under the health and emergency management bureau of the Philippines’ Department of Health.
During his term in office, former President Rodrigo Duterte was keen to see similar measures enacted into law before stepping down from the job in June. The establishment of these institutions is meant to ensure the Philippines is better prepared for future health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. But bills tackling these didn’t make it into law during the last congress, so lawmakers will have to file them again under the 19th Congress. Inquirer reports a bill on the establishment of a medical reserve corps was refiled in early July.
In addition to preparing for future health crises, Marcos Jr. also spoke about improving the country’s health care system by bringing services closer to people. That includes putting up specialized government health centers in other parts of the country, not just in the capital, as well as rural health units to be visited by health care professionals once or twice a week so people don’t have to travel far to access health care. Efforts are also being pursued to bring down the price of medicine in the country.
“I’ve started discussions with pharmaceutical companies here in the Philippines and abroad, encouraging them to open the market to bring medicine prices down,” Marcos Jr. said in Filipino. “If there are cheaper generic or nonbranded medicines in the market, prices will go down because of competition.”
The country’s Department of Trade and Industry is already in talks with generic drug manufacturers interested in pursuing business in the country, he added.
He also said efforts will be taken to improve the welfare of medical professionals, but didn’t provide further details.
The intent to establish the Philippines’ own CDC is a good one, according to an alliance of health care professionals in the country. But they wanted more clarity on its functions, and if and how it will improve coordination between the public and private sectors, as well as across the national, regional and local levels during a crisis.
They also want to know what are the president’s plans “in terms of recruiting, motivating and retaining Filipino healthcare professionals” in the country amid a high demand abroad.
There is a shortage of health care professionals in the country, with many having sought better pay and opportunities abroad. Estimates from 2018 show that 25% of all barangays — the smallest government unit in the Philippines — in the country do not have any health workers, according to data from the National Health Human Resource Master Plan 2020-2040.
“The concept of [a] medical reserve corps is not new, but we need actual healthcare professionals to meet our country’s growing healthcare needs,” Dr. Alberto Ong Jr. of the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 wrote to Devex in an email.
“As a feasible option for reservists, the President should also consider giving the choice for college students to undergo the Reserve Officers Training Corps or the Medical Reserve Training Corps,” he said.
And while the Philippines has “world-class scientists” to realize its own vaccine institute, financing such an institution should not divert resources away from more basic and urgent health systems needs, he added.
“We expect a 60% increase in hospitalizations by 2040 for non-infectious diseases alone, mostly at the community-level hospitals. The government needs to be strategic in any health-related investment, ensuring that only bang-for-the-buck interventions are prioritized and institutionalized,” said Ong, who is also secretary-general of the Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians.
No more lockdowns
Marcos Jr. spoke about the continuing threat of COVID-19 during his speech. DOH said the current uptick in cases could reach over 19,000 daily by Aug. 31, although this could go down to just over 6,000 to 8,000 cases with improved vaccination rates. Marcos Jr. emphasized that COVID-19 vaccinations will continue but lockdowns will no longer be implemented. There needs to be a balance in ensuring people’s health and that of the economy, he said.
“We can’t afford another lockdown,” he said.
The Philippines implemented a series of movement restrictions called “community quarantine” at varying levels across the country as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021.
DOH seconded the president’s statements on lockdowns. In a news release, the department stated that the hospital admission rate remains at “low risk,” with severe and critical COVID-19 cases at only 8.69% of total hospital admissions as of July 26. DOH said this is because of high vaccination coverage in the country.
Over 71.5 million people — over 64% of Philippines' estimated population — have completed their primary COVID-19 vaccinations to date, but just over 14% have received a booster shot as of July 26. DOH is launching a campaign to increase this number to 50% in the coming months.
Update, Aug. 1, 2022: This story has been updated with comments from the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
