Malacañang details allocation of $600-M US health care grant

MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday detailed the key sectors set to receive funding from a USD600 million (PHP36.95 billion) US grant aimed at boosting the Philippine healthcare infrastructure.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro told reporters that the funding will fuel the execution of the Strategic Objective Agreement for Integrated and Sustainable Health Systems, a collaborative framework between the Philippines and the US.

Citing the Department of Finance’s (DOF) statement, Castro noted that under the agreement, the two countries will work toward three key results to reinforce the Philippine health system.

These include strengthening disease surveillance, detection, and outbreak response; integrating health service delivery across disease programs; and enhancing domestic capacity to finance and manage the health sector.

“The initiative will also support priority health programs, addressing Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), Neglected Tropical Diseases and Maternal Newborn and Child Health,” Castro said.

READ: PH gets $600-M US health care grant

“Iyan po ang mga programa kung saan ilalaan po ang naibigay po na grant ng US para sa ating health system (These are the programs where the US grant will be allocated to support our health system).”

The DOF said Monday the Department of Health is expected to use the USD600 million grant to upgrade medical delivery, bolster defenses against outbreak threats, and strengthen national health security.

On July 22, the Philippines and the US also signed a grant of USD193 million (PHP11.8 billion) to support a five-year joint program to detect, treat, and prevent HIV and TB. (PNA)

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