THE Philippines received a $600-million grant from the United States to strengthen the country’s healthcare system and improve its capacity to respond to public health threats, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).
The grant, equivalent to about P36.95 billion and does not require repayment, is under the ‘Strategic Objective Agreement’ (SOAG) for Integrated and Sustainable Health Systems in the Philippines.
According to the DOF, the funding will build an integrated and self-reliant health system by improving health security, healthcare delivery and the country’s capacity to respond to infectious disease threats.
Specifically, the Department of Health will implement the grant to strengthen disease surveillance, detection and outbreak response; integrate health service delivery across disease programs; and improve domestic capacity to finance and manage the health sector.
The fund will also support priority health initiatives covering Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), neglected tropical diseases and maternal, newborn and child health.
The DOF added that the agreement will advance strategic bilateral cooperation on global health security and other priority health programs.
The SOAG builds on more than six decades of health cooperation between the Philippines and the United States, read a statement the DOF issued.
According to the DOF, the grant is also part of the five-year ‘Health Strategic Objective Agreement,’ a jointly funded plan signed by the Philippines and the United States last July to improve and sustain the capacity to detect, treat, and prevent HIV and TB, as well as strengthen global health security.
Under the agreement, Manila committed to investing more than P30 billion, or $491 million, in its health systems over the next five years.
Washington, for its part, intends to provide more than P11.8 billion, or $193 million, over the five-year term of the agreement to advance shared global health goals, fight the spread of infectious diseases and build greater autonomy and self-reliance in its health systems.