VP NOLI TO WORLD HEALTH LEADERS: RP POURING HUGE INVESTMENTS ON HEALTH
September 24, 2008

Vice President Noli 'Kabayan' De Castro told world health leaders recently (September 22) that the government is putting more importance on health as it has poured huge investments on that sector.

“In the last two years, the health sector has received the largest increases in government investments in the social sector”, De Castro said during the 59th Session of the WHO Regional Committee Meeting for the Western Pacific Region.

“The increase in investments for the health sector is unmatched in history and is envisioned to expand health care coverage for indigent families through the national social health insurance program where we now cover 77 percent of the population”, De Castro added.

Likewise, De Castro said that the Philippines is moving forward with its reforms in the health sector through targeted aid and technical assistance to the poorest provinces to enable them to build effective and responsive local health systems.

"Our goals are quite clear: better health outcomes, more responsive health systems, and more equitable healthcare financing," he said.

De Castro continued by saying that the WHO is the most important institution in promoting global health development and health security as he commended the international body's leadership in driving health development in the Western Pacific.

"Our recent experience with many communicable diseases shows that a concerted, multi-sectoral, and long-term international effort is needed in order to effectively address these threats to human health safety," he said.

De Castro also noted that WHO's plans and strategies to address said health concerns, as well as the other difficult hurdles that the world faces in the form of new pandemics, harmful markets, and a brewing environmental crisis, are comprehensive and integrated.

"Indeed, in matters of health development and security, no single country can do it alone. We are in this effort together. That is the only way to prevail", he said.

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