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UHC benefits to be felt in 2-3 years – Duterte

April 21, 2022 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 312 views

BATANGAS CITY – Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said Wednesday she expects the benefits of Republic Act (RA) No.11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act to trickle down to Filipinos in two to three years.

Duterte made this known in her dialogue with the province’s health workers from the Nursing Service Administrators of the Philippines (ANSAP) at the Provincial Capitol Auditorium here even as she bared Davao City’s efforts in operationalizing the “challenging” UHC Act.

“In Davao City sinisimulan na namin ang mga discussions with the Department of Health (DOH) and the local government unit (LGU) and our government hospitals and hopefully in the next two to three years, we will be able to see the operationalization ng Universal Health Care Act in Davao City,” Duterte told the audience from the healthcare sector.

“And of course for the rest of the LGUs in our country, and dagdag pa doon sa healthcare sector natin is yung benefits, number one the compensation, pangalawa the benefits, and the other pay para sa ating mga healthcare workers na should be competitive sa suweldo doon sa abroad or sa overseas so that our healthcare workers [will] decide to stay with their families and work for our country instead of working abroad away from their families because of the higher pay and benefits that they get from other offers from overseas,” Duterte said.

The UHC law is considered one of the legacy legislation of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration, along with RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (free college tuition law).

Duterte, chairperson of Lakas-CMD and regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), is the daughter of President Duterte.

During her talk, the front-running vice presidential candidate shared what she thought were the problems in implementing the 2019 law.

“We are trying our best na ma-implement yung Universal Health Care Act, napakaganda nung batas and it is a very big challenge for local government units (LGUs) na aming ibaba yung mga puwedeng gawin at puwedeng makatulong sa ating mga kababayan na nasa ating Universal Health Care Act,” she said.

“It is already a law, but… ang bagal ng implementation ng batas. Ang daming mga reforms na supposedly dapat nandoon, but hindi pa. It’s either mabagal o hindi pa nasisimulan even in our city the local government of Davao City, hirap kami how to operationalize the UHC,” the lady mayor lamented.

Mayor Duterte is running on the platform of continuity, meaning she plans to continue the programs of her father.

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