Healthcare

The Philippines has reached universal healthcare, and free healthcare. It is paid by national and local government subsidies. However it still combats unequal access to medical care; in essence, the public healthcare is excellent in urban centers to poor in rural areas of the country. Typically relating to the uneven distribution of hospitals and primary care centers. Which is why around 50 % of the population doesn't have access to a primary care center within 30 minutes.

PhilHealth

PhilHealth is a government-owned corporation that administers the public healthcare system in the Philippines. It was first set up in 1995 for universal coverage of healthcare. Currently about 90% of the population is a member of that programme, with different membership categories depending on the work, income, age, and other factors. Lot of its fundings comes from “sin taxes” relating to alcohol or tobacco. This first started in 2012, and its success led to additional taxes later.

Issues with Healthcare

There is an issue of FIlipino medical staff moving to western countries which has resulted in 75% of areas being understaffed and experiencing delays for treatment, which could be detrimental to a person's health. But the main problem with healthcare in the Philippines is the lack of equipment/substandard equipment. The problem with lack of appropriate tools has become quite an issue during COVID with only 4 out of 17 main regions having the expected hospital beds per 1000 people.

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Conclusion

These reasons are contributions to why the Philippines has a low life span in comparison to other countries; the average lifespan in the Philippines is around 65 years with the most at risk for premature death being people who are impoverished. The HDI of the Philippines would be much increased if these issues with Philippine’s healthcare system could be improved.