Health Care Delivery System

• The Philippine Health Care Delivery System is composed of two sectors:
1. public sector - largely financed through a tax-based budgeting system at both national and local levels and where health care is given free at the point of service
2. private sector (for profit and non-profit providers) - largely market-oriented and where health care is paid through user fees at the point of service
• The public sector consists of the national and local government agencies, providing health services. At the national level, the Department of Health (DOH), is mandated as the lead agency in health. It has a regional field office in every region and maintains specialty hospitals, regional hospitals and medical centers. It also maintains provincial health team made up of DOH representatives to the local health boards and personnel involved in communicable disease control, specifically for malaria and schistosomiasis. other national government agencies providing health care services such as the Philippine General Hospital are also part of this sector
• With the devolution of health services, the local health system is now run by Local Government Units (LGUs). The provincial and district hospitals are under the provincial government while the city/municipal government manages the health centers/rural health units (RHUs) and barangay health stations (BHSs). In every province, city or municipality, there is a local health board chaired by the local chief executive. Its function is mainly to serve as advisory body to the local executive and the sanggunian or local legislative council on health-related matters
• The private sector includes for-profit and non-profit health providers. Their involvement in maintaining the people's health is enormous. This includes providing health services in clinics and hospitals, health insurance, manufacture of medicines, vaccines, medical supplies, equipment, and other health and nutrition products, research and development, human resource development and other health-related services