Let's talk about HEALTH. Be involved in THE SECRETARY'S CUP.
Yesterday, a press conference was held at the Department of Health for the launch of THE SECRETARY'S CUP. This is a national program for Universal Health Care organized by Asia 21 Awardee, Dr. Bryan Lim along with DOH and other partners.
Present during the press conference were former and present DOH Secretaries who all expressed their support for the project. Other Asia 21 Philippine awardees were also present to give support.
Learn more about the project here: https://www.facebook.com/TheSecretarysCup
The time is now for Universal Health Care (UHC). No less than President Benigno Aquino III has enunciated the need for UHC in his State of the National Address last July 23, 2012. "Nais din nating makamit ang Universal Health Care, at magkaron ng sapat na kagamitan, pasilidad, at tauhan ang ating mga institusyong pangkalusugan," he declared.
In 2010, the Department of Health launched its program, Kalusugang Pangkalahatan in pursuit of this goal of providing "health for all". This initiative builds on the efforts of the Department of Health in the past five decades, during which programs like primary health care, health sector reform, an integrated referral system, and the National Health Insurance Program (PhilHealth) were developed and implemented.
Today, the Department of Health, the Universal Health Care Study Group of the University of the Philippines (UHC-SG), and Asia 21 Young Leaders' Initiative Philippines, are launching the "Secretary's Cup", a series of events that aim to show to the Filipino people what Universal Health Care is all about, and how it can impact the lives of every Filipino. UHC is all about providing health care whenever and wherever it is needed, while at the same time protecting the hard-earned money of patients and their families through universal PhilHealth coverage. It is also about making the health care system more efficient and responsive to the needs of the people.
Nonetheless, all the stakeholders acknowledge that the attainment of UHC is a long road. The Secretary's Cup will feature talks from Secteraries of Health, where they will express their insights on the challenges and issues that need to be threshed out; it will also feature debates where young people will express their minds on important themes, like "how can we deal with the diaspora of heath professionals?" and "how do we deal with the population growth and maternal mortality?". Furthermore, town hall meetings will be held in various locations around the country, giving every Juan and Juana dela Cruz the opportunity to speak their minds on their own health concerns in a forum where the DOH and other health decision-makers will be actively listening.
The Secretary's Cup is also an opportunity to clarify unfounded fears about UHC. Importantly, this series of activities aims to bring UHC to public discourse, as this is an important direction towards which the nation needs to unite. Everyone is invited to take part in this initiative. Please contact Dr. Bryan Albert Lim of the UHC-SG: 09173201502 or Ms. Dianne Barone 09276056864 or email us at [email protected].