3.
The UN committee on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, who is a UN body of
experts that considers the compliance of United Nations members with the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), espoused a General
Comment in 2000. This General Comment states that the right to health encompasses
not only healthcare but also sees to it that the fundamental factors of health are also
considered such as access to safe and clean water, appropriate sanitation, sufficient
supply of safe food, nutrition and housing, healthy occupational and environmental
conditions, and access to health-related education. [3] The General Comment lists four
elements of right to health
Availability. There should be sufficiency of public and private health care
facilities that have availability of staff, supplies, services, adequate sanitation,
and access to safe potable water.
Accessibility. Health related necessities such as facilities, goods and services
are available for everyone that is encompassed by the state jurisdiction.
Four dimensions are contained within accessibility namely:
1. Non-discrimination: Equal accessibility and high-quality treatment must be given
by healthcare facilities to everyone without any prejudice against their race,
identity, gender, religion, economic or social status.
2. Physical accessibility: The geographical location of health care providers must be
within reach of everyone which is determined by the ease of physical reach for
the masses with inclusion of proper structures that cater to disabled people.
3. Economical accessibility: Health care providers must price their goods and
services in relation to the ability ang willingness of their clients to pay and with a
basis on equity in full effect.
4. Accessibility of Information: Identification and dissemination of pertinent health
related information that concerns the public and patients must be given by health
care providers with adherence to data privacy and patient confidentiality laws.
Acceptability. Health care providers must have sensitivity to immutable
characteristics of its patients with adherence to the code of conduct and medical
ethics. Among these characteristics include the age, sex, social class, and
ethnicity, as well as the diagnosis and type of coverage of the client.
Quality. High-quality service that includes high standard equipment and highly
trained and skilled medical practitioners must be always provided and
maintained by Health Care providers. [3]
4. The R.A. 11223 and PhilHealth were both put in place as means for Filipinos to gain
access to high quality and affordable health care. At face value, these initiatives by the
government are helpful in lessening the monetary burden of health care and giving
proper medical services for everyone. However, if we take a deeper look at the state of
not only the Philippine healthcare but our country in general, we see that these are not
enough. The biggest problem of that the country is facing regarding health is the lack of
financial support and quality service. Private hospitals outweigh public hospitals both in
terms of number and quality. [4] The disparity in price and quality puts low-income
citizens at a disadvantage and forces them to settle for poor quality health care. Out-of-
pocket payments for medical services are at a higher rate at 47.9% which furthers the
restriction of access to healthcare and poverty. PhilHealth is only able to reimburse 30%
to 70% maximum of health care costs. Shortage in hospital beds and medical staff are
also seen with only a density of doctors of 6 per 10,000 which is lower compared to
neighboring countries. [5] Corruption is also a problem leading to higher business costs
and uncertainty with recent news of PhilHealth missing about 15 billion in funds. [6] With
all these data, we see that the R.A. 11223 and the PhilHealth are not enough in
supporting the healthcare needs of the Philippines. These laws are in place but there
are systems within that allow for corruption to happen. The allocation of resources is not
properly being done as we see the disparity in number of private to public hospitals as
well as a lack of the necessities inside hospitals especially for public facilities. Filipinos
are still mainly relying on their income and paying out of pocket for tests and medical
services while the tax paid to medical insurances are not being utilized. The R.A. 11223
and the PhilHealth are only part of the solution but is inadequate in encompassing the
issue that system is facing. What is need at the moment is a holistic reform of the health
care system that addresses issues of not only the system itself but the underlying
determinants that are necessary to support healthcare such as employment, education
and many more to truly address the issues that the Philippine healthcare system
currently faces.
[3] WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. (2017). Right to Health, Fact sheet No.2.
Retrieved February 15, 2022, from
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/ESCR/Health/RightToHealthWHOFS2.pdf
[4] Department of Health. (N.A.). THE PHILIPPINE HEALTH SYSTEM AT A GLANCE.
Retrieved February 15, 2022, from
https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/basic-page/chapter-one.pdf
[5] Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (2021). Health Care in The Philippines. Retrieved
February 15, 2022, from https://www.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2021/06/Healthcare-in-
The-Philippines.pdf
[6] PhilHealth. (2021). PhilHealth decries 15-B scam allegations, discloses latest IRM
liquidation tally. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from
https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/news/2021/decries_scam.pdf
