PhilHealth, CHR push health care as right

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and the Commission on Human Rights have joined forces to promote access to quality health care as a fundamental human right and a core obligation of the state.

PhilHealth and CHR held a learning forum Tuesday, June 23, titled “Health as a Human Right: Bridging the Healthcare Divide,” bringing together health and social justice leaders and civil society organizations.

The forum underscored the need to move the country’s health care system beyond the treatment of illnesses and toward stronger state-funded investments in preventive and primary health care.

The initiative aligns with global efforts by the World Health Organization and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to integrate human rights principles into health governance and Universal Health Care implementation.

WHO has said universal health coverage grounded in primary health care helps countries realize the right to health by ensuring affordable and equitable access to health services. OHCHR has also emphasized that UHC should ensure access to essential health services without financial hardship.

In the Philippines, Republic Act No. 11223, or the Universal Health Care Act, seeks to institute Universal Health Care for all Filipinos and reform the country’s health care system.

PhilHealth and CHR said anchoring domestic health care delivery on a rights-based framework would help improve equitable access, especially for marginalized and vulnerable communities.

The forum highlighted the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program, or YAKAP, as one of the government’s critical programs for the progressive realization of Universal Health Care.

PhilHealth describes YAKAP as a primary care program meant to improve access to checkups and other primary care services for Filipino families.

By making primary care access points and preventive care more available, the state helps protect Filipinos from financial burden caused by medical emergencies, forum organizers said.

“Healthcare is a cornerstone of human dignity,” said PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Edwin M. Mercado, who led the activity. “Through PhilHealth YAKAP, we are transforming our healthcare system to ensure that primary and preventive care are accessible to every Filipino, regardless of their economic status. This is our commitment to fulfilling the promise of Universal Health Care.”

CHR Commissioner Judge Maria Amifaith S. Fider-Reyes (Ret.), who co-led the forum, emphasized that the right to health is inseparable from human dignity and the right to life itself.

The commission reiterated its commitment to work with PhilHealth, civil society, and other stakeholders to ensure that the right to health is not an abstract promise but a lived reality for every Filipino.

PhilHealth and CHR said they intend to institutionalize their partnership and deepen engagement with civil society.

The agencies said the sustained collaboration aims to ensure that Filipinos are aware of their health rights and can fully maximize expanded primary care benefits under YAKAP.