9 out of 10 Pinoys expect universal health care — SWS

Fully 87 percent of adult Filipinos, or nearly nine out of 10, expect the government to provide health care for everyone, including those who cannot afford to pay for it, according to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. The survey, commissioned by the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, also found that a strong majority, or 78 percent of Filipinos, agree with the statement that “health is a basic human right guaranteed by the constitution." Although 60 percent said they were satisfied with the government in providing quality health services for all, 25 percent have never consulted a doctor or health facility during illness, the survey showed. Of the total respondents who had never consulted a doctor, 33 percent explained that “they knew what medicine to buy" to cure themselves, while 24 percent cited as their reason that “they couldn’t afford it." Meanwhile, despite 93 percent of Filipinos admitting that they were “worried about getting sick," over half of adult Filipinos, or 55 percent, have no health insurance, based on the survey results. Higher portions of the uninsured come from the lower economic classes D and E, with 54 percent and 66 percent, respectively, saying that they had no insurance. Only 28 percent of Filipinos in the economic classes A, B, and C are uninsured, the survey showed. Of the remaining 45 percent of insured Filipinos, 33 percent said that their health insurance was provided by a government agency, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth), with the balance filled by private insurers. Survey respondents said that they wanted health insurance to cover medicines (37 percent), laboratory tests (21 percent), outpatient consultations (21 percent), and hospitalization (8 percent). As to the effect of medical problems on a family’s economic situation, 71 percent agreed that “because hospitals charge so much these days, many families get impoverished when a member gets so sick as to be hospitalized." The bulk of adult Filipinos, or 78 percent, said that an agenda for health insurance was important in choosing a candidate for President during the 2010 elections, according to the SWS results. The survey was held from January to February of this year, before the elections in May. The results of the survey, which was conducted through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults across the nation, were released this Thursday. The Aquino administration has been criticized for its “inadequate" allocation for the health sector in the 2011 budget. The P32 billion granted by the Department of Budget and Management is not enough for its operations, the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) said. (See: Govt hospitals in dengue-hit QC to suffer budget cuts)—Larissa Mae R. Suarez/JV, GMANews.TV