First Health Financing Summit in Cebu

The Visayas Primary Health Care Services, Inc., is partnering with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to host the First Health Financing Summit in Cebu entitled “Universal Health Care: The Role of Health Financing in Achieving Universal Health Care” on January 26, 2011 at the Cebu Institute of Medicine Amphitheatre from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Universal Health Care through better health care financing is seen as the constructive alternative to many of the current solutions being undertaken by our Philippine Government when attempting to improve access to health by society at large. It is a response to the need for equitable health care for all Filipinos based on need and not based on ability to pay. Health financing is one of the six building blocks of a health system: governance, health information system, human resources for health, health organization, regulation and health financing.

The one-day activity is expected to bring together local government officials, congressmen, government health officials, mayors, municipal health officers, chiefs of district hospitals, private hospital heads, health maintenance organizations, medical societies representatives, deans of nursing and medical schools, pharmacy owners, health non-government organizations, people’s organizations, pharmacists, and other stakeholders in the health and non-health sectors in Cebu and Bohol.

Speakers include among others, Dr. Soe Nyunt-U, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Philippines, Hon. Stephen Lillie, United Kingdom Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go of the Asian Institute of Management, Former Cebu City Health Officer Dr. Tomas Fernandez, Dr. Alvin Caballes of the University of the Philippines- Manila, Dr. Fidelis Quiza of the Cebu Institute of Medicine, Dr. Leizel Lagrada of the Department of Health- Central Office, and Mayor Sonia Lorenzo, San Isidro, Nueva Ecija.