The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $450 million policy-based loan to help the Philippines strengthen health policy reforms and further improve Filipinos’ access to medicines and health services, sustain universal healthcare (UHC) coverage, and increase financing for UHC.

The Build Universal Health Care Programme (Sub programme 2) is helping scale up the government’s efforts to implement key reforms under the UHC Act of 2019. These reforms include sustainable financing for UHC, the integrated delivery of quality health services, and the interoperability of health information systems.

The new programme builds on previous ADB support provided under Sub programme 1 and technical assistance financed by the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific approved in November 2021.

Under Sub programme 2, the government has adopted an updated health financing strategy, a national medicine access policy, and the National Health Data Repository framework. The Green and Safe Health Facilities scheme has been implemented to ensure public health facilities are disaster-resilient, environmentally sustainable, and gender-responsive. The number of available primary care providers was increased, and primary care benefits were enhanced under the National Health Insurance Programme, including the enhancements of inpatient benefits.

The government expanded health promotion activities in communities, workplaces, and schools across the country, including the designation of barangay health workers as community-level health education and promotion officers. The government also initiated an annual monitoring of UHC outputs and introduced performance incentives for local government units.