THE DEPARTMENT of Health XI continues to improve Davao Region’s healthcare system by addressing the medical needs and access for Filipinos.
During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas at the DOH XI building, regional director Dr. Annabelle P. Yumang outlined the agency’s accomplishments to increase public health facilities and provide a stronger service to communities.
In their presentation, 1,375 health facilities were built in Davao Region in 2024 compared to 1,245 in 2021. Furthermore, 57 ambulance units were provided to various health facilities in Davao Region from 2021 to 2024.
DOH XI also met the demand for medical infrastructure, equipment, and transportation investment under the Universal Health Care law. The Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) also addressed the shortage of health facilities by using investments in national and LGU health facilities.
“Focusing on the completion, upgrading, renovation of our existing LGU hospitals also our rural health units to become a licensed primary care facility so that the Davao Region was now able to increase the public health facilities from 2021 to 2024,” Yumang said.
Other accomplishments also include primary medications, expansion of PhilHealth coverage, financial support, deployment of doctors, and the installation of a cardiac catheterization laboratory at SPMC last February.
DOH Undersecretary Dr. Abdullah B. Dumama Jr. highlighted their aim of increasing health literacy among Filipinos. He also noted that only a few doctors are serving municipalities and people prefer traveling to advanced government hospitals due to lower costs and improved care.
“Ang Universal Health Care po ngayon abot kamay na natin. Although ang official implementation nito will be on the 2026,” Dumama said.
Dumama added that there are currently 73 provinces with Universal Health care integration sites in the Philippines. For Region XI, Davao Occidental and Davao del Sur are the only areas with no integration sites.
According to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies website, 50 percent of Filipinos were able to access primary health care within the government’s standard time frame of 30 minutes in 2020.
Photo: Bing Gonzales
