QUEZON CITY (PIA) -- One of the priority agendas of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is affordable health care for all.

This vision for the Filipino people will be achieved through various measures to be implemented. The Department of Health laid out its strategies for the Health Sector which gives emphasis on vital components highlighting four major pillars of the framework:

1)    A society that promotes physical, mental, and social well-being;

2)    Empowering communities and households to make healthy and informed choices;

3)    Giving access to both public and private health care delivery systems; and

4)    Capacitating measures to bolster the health system in support of other outcomes.

The DOH aims to achieve four major strategic outcomes:

1)    Improving the social determinants of health;

2)    Enabling healthy choices and behavior;

3)    Improving the Filipinos’ access to quality and efficient health care; and

4)    Strengthening of the country’s health systems.

President Marcos also recognizes the contributions of the country’s health workers and pushes for the passage of the Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) to uplift their conditions.

The current administration makes sure that the Magna Carta for BHW becomes a priority measure and the president expects there will be no opposition to the bill because of the importance of health workers in the country.

Further, the Medical Reserve Corps, the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and the creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines are among the ten (10) priority bills that were adopted for passage by Congress on June 2 this year. This is to expand and strengthen the country’s healthcare system that will withstand another pandemic like COVID-19.

Other priority measures to be passed at the end of the First Regular Session are the Amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law/Public-Private Partnership (PPP) bill, Mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and National Service Training Program (NSTP), the Condonation of Unpaid Amortization and Interests of Loans of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs), Internet Transactions Act/E-Commerce Law, Maharlika bill, Attrition law/AFP Fixed Term and the Salt Industry Development Bill.

This was the commitment during the first Executive Committee Meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) to ensure the prioritization of certain programs and policies essential to the realization of the goals of the national development agenda. (KSAA – PIA CPSD)