1. Health system

-A health system comprises all organizations, institutions and resources (elements) that are devoted to producing health actions. The intrinsic goal of a health system is to protect and improve the health of the people, that is it is concerned with people’s health. In addition to patients, families, and communities, Ministries of Health, health providers, health services organizations, pharmaceutical companies, health financing bodies, and other organizations play important roles, such as oversight, health service provision, financing and managing resources.

The World Health Organization (2000) redefined the main purpose in its definition of a health system as “all activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore, and maintain health.”

Resources from: https://ifmsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IFMSA_Program_Health-Systems.pdf

2. Philippine health system

-The Philippine healthcare system is shared between the public and private sectors. The pandemic allowed hospitals to upgrade and increase their facilities to cope with the situation. Public hospitals focus their efforts on preventive and primary care while also taking the lead in educating the public on health issues. On the other hand, private hospitals focus on specialized care for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, pulmonology, and orthopedics.

The Philippine Government signed Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law in 2019, allowing all Filipinos, including Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), access to healthcare services under the Government’s health insurance program (PhilHealth).

Resources from: https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/philippines-healthcare

3. Primary health care

-Primary health care is a whole-of-society approach to effectively organize and strengthen national health systems to bring services for health and wellbeing closer to communities. It has 3 components:

integrated health services to meet people’s health needs throughout their lives
addressing the broader determinants of health through multisectoral policy and action
empowering individuals, families and communities to take charge of their own health.
Primary health care enables health systems to support a person’s health needs – from health promotion to disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and more. This strategy also ensures that health care is delivered in a way that is centred on people’s needs and respects their preferences.

Primary health care is widely regarded as the most inclusive, equitable and cost-effective way to achieve universal health coverage. It is also key to strengthening the resilience of health systems to prepare for, respond to and recover from shocks and crises.

Resources from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/primary-health-care#tab=tab_1