More than 120 local government officials, municipal health officers, chiefs of district hospitals, private hospital heads, health maintenance organizations, medical societies representatives, deans of nursing and medical schools, pharmacy owners, health non-government organizations, people’s organizations, pharmacists, and other stakeholders in the health and non-health sectors in Cebu and Bohol attended the First Health Financing Summit in Cebu last January 26, 2011.
The summit entitled “Universal Health Care: The Role of Health Financing in Achieving Universal Health Care” was held at the Cebu Institute of Medicine Amphitheatre from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The activity was sponsored by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in partnership with the Visayas Primary Health Care Services, Inc., the University of San Carlos Economics Department, the Sky Cable and the Cebu Alliance of Mass Communications Students.
Speakers included among others, Dr. Bayarsaikhan, Team Leader-HCF, Hon. Stephen Lillie, United Kingdom Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go of the Asian Institute of Management, Former Cebu City Health Officer Dr. Tomas Fernandez, Dr. Alvin Caballes of the University of the Philippines- Manila, Dr. Fidelis Quiza of the Cebu Institute of Medicine, Dr. Leizel Lagrada of the Department of Health- Central Office, Mayor Sonia Lorenzo, San Isidro, Nueva Ecija and Dr. Ramon Paterno of the University of the Philippines – Manila.
Universal Health Care through better health care financing is seen as the constructive alternative to many of the current solutions being undertaken by our Philippine Government when attempting to improve access to health by society at large. It is a response to the need for equitable health care for all Filipinos based on need and not based on ability to pay. Health financing is one of the six building blocks of a health system: governance, health information system, human resources for health, health organization, regulation and health financing.
