Philippines : Build Universal Health Care Program (Subprogram 1)
The Government of the Philippines enacted the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act on 20 February 2019 to ensure equitable access to quality health services for all Filipinos with financial protection. The UHC Act envisioned the implementation of a series of reforms over at least 6 years and the proposed program will support the implementation of these health financing, service delivery, and performance monitoring reforms needed to achieve UHC. It is consistent with the Philippine Development Plan, 2017-2022; the country partnership strategy, 2018-2023 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB); and ADB's Strategy 2030. The programmatic approach will provide long-term support to improve the sequencing and implementation of UHC policy reforms and harmonize national and local-level reforms.
Project Details
-
Project Officer
Banzon, Eduardo P.
Southeast Asia Department
Request for information -
Country/Economy
Philippines -
Sector
- Health
| Project Name | Build Universal Health Care Program (Subprogram 1) | ||||||||
| Project Number | 55105-001 | ||||||||
| Country / Economy | Philippines |
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| Project Status | Active | ||||||||
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Loan Technical Assistance |
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| Source of Funding / Amount |
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| Operational Priorities | OP1: Addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities OP2: Accelerating progress in gender equality OP3: Tackling climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability OP6: Strengthening governance and institutional capacity |
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| Sector / Subsector | Health / Health sector development and reform |
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| Gender | Effective gender mainstreaming | ||||||||
| Description | The Government of the Philippines enacted the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act on 20 February 2019 to ensure equitable access to quality health services for all Filipinos with financial protection. The UHC Act envisioned the implementation of a series of reforms over at least 6 years and the proposed program will support the implementation of these health financing, service delivery, and performance monitoring reforms needed to achieve UHC. It is consistent with the Philippine Development Plan, 2017-2022; the country partnership strategy, 2018-2023 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB); and ADB's Strategy 2030. The programmatic approach will provide long-term support to improve the sequencing and implementation of UHC policy reforms and harmonize national and local-level reforms. | ||||||||
| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | The Philippine economy was hit hard by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and contracted by 9.6% in 2020. Unemployment soared to a record high of 17.6% by April 2020 before easing to 8.7% by October 2020. However, the economy is projected to recover to 4.5% in 2021. With regards to health outcomes, life expectancy at birth has increased from 63.7 years in 1980 to 71.1 years in 2018, and infant mortality decreased from 53.0 per 1,000 live births in 1980 to 21.6 per 1,000 in 2019. The share of deliveries at health facilities increased from 28% in 1993 to 78% in 2017, and the share of total births attended by skilled health providers rose to 84%. However, maternal mortality remains high at 121 per 100,000 livebirths in 2017 (a decrease from 180 in 1990), and adolescent fertility is still high at 55% as of 2018 (up from 52% in 1980). Noncommunicable diseases now account for 68% of all deaths, at an estimated economic cost of around Php756.5 billion per year while current health expenditure (CHE) remains low at 4.1% of 2019 GDP compared to the 2018 global average of 9.8%. Out of pocket spending for health remains high at 47.9% of CHE. Major health system constraints include insufficient government financing and uncoordinated health purchasing, inadequate and fragmented health services, and weak information management and accountability at the national and local government levels. In response, the UHC Act was enacted to guarantee access to quality health services for all Filipinos and address health system constraints. The program loan will support the Philippines implement the law and achieve universal health coverage. | ||||||||
| Impact | |||||||||
| Project Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Description of Outcome | |
| Progress Toward Outcome | |
| Implementation Progress | |
| Description of Project Outputs | |
| Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | |
| Geographical Location | Nation-wide |
| Safeguard Categories | |
|---|---|
| Environment | C |
| Involuntary Resettlement | C |
| Indigenous Peoples | C |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
|---|---|
| Environmental Aspects | |
| Involuntary Resettlement | |
| Indigenous Peoples | |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | |
| During Project Implementation | |
| Responsible ADB Officer | Banzon, Eduardo P. |
| Responsible ADB Department | Southeast Asia Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Human and Social Development Division, SERD |
| Executing Agencies |
Department of Finance |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | 04 Jun 2021 |
| Fact Finding | 27 May 2021 to 17 Jun 2021 |
| MRM | 30 Jul 2021 |
| Approval | 19 Nov 2021 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| Last PDS Update | 19 Nov 2021 |
Loan 4145-PHI
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 19 Nov 2021 | 16 Dec 2021 | 25 Jan 2022 | 31 Dec 2022 | - | 31 Dec 2022 |
| Financing Plan | Loan Utilization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
| Project Cost | 600.00 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
| ADB | 600.00 | 10 Jan 2023 | 600.00 | 0.00 | 100% |
| Counterpart | 0.00 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
| Cofinancing | 0.00 | 10 Jan 2023 | 600.00 | 0.00 | 100% |
TA 6832-PHI
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 19 Nov 2021 | 18 Jan 2022 | 18 Jan 2022 | 31 Oct 2024 | - | - |
| Financing Plan/TA Utilization | Cumulative Disbursements | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADB | Cofinancing | Counterpart | Total | Date | Amount | |||
| Gov | Beneficiaries | Project Sponsor | Others | |||||
| 0.00 | 2,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,000,000.00 | 10 Jan 2023 | 332,008.04 |
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. It establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced.
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| Title | Document Type | Document Date |
|---|---|---|
| Loan Agreement (Ordinary Operations) for Loan 4145-PHI: Build Universal Health Care Program (Subprogram 1) | Loan Agreement (Ordinary Resources) | Dec 2021 |
| Build Universal Health Care Program (Subprogram 1): Report and Recommendation of the President | Reports and Recommendations of the President | Oct 2021 |
| Supporting Building Up Universal Health Care: Technical Assistance Report | Technical Assistance Reports | Oct 2021 |
| Build Universal Health Care Program (Subprogram 1): Concept Paper | Concept Papers | Jun 2021 |
| Build Universal Health Care Program (Subprogram 1): Initial Poverty and Social Analysis | Initial Poverty and Social Analysis | Jun 2021 |
Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.
None currently available.
Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation
None currently available.
Related Publications
None currently available.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.
Requests for information may also be directed to the InfoUnit.
$600 Million ADB Loan to Help the Philippines Provide Universal Health Care
The Asian Development Bank has approved a $600 million policy-based loan to help the Philippines provide quality and equitable health services for all Filipinos as part of its universal health care reform program.
Tenders
Contracts Awarded
Procurement Plan
None currently available.