Fear of getting sick

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

Another survey has confirmed that Filipinos have this strong fear of getting sick because it is simply unaffordable.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has just released a report on the Filipino family and health security emerges as the primary concern.

No wonder Bong Go topped the last senatorial elections after claiming the Malasakit Centers as his own. The centers help people navigate the requirements of many dole-out programs of the government to get financial assistance to cover hospital expenses.

The BCG study found that seven in ten Filipino households identified “being financially prepared for health emergencies” as one of their top five priorities — surpassing savings, education and homeownership. This fear is grounded in harsh reality: 64 percent of families could not cover a P10,000 hospital bill without borrowing money.

“Families told us repeatedly that getting sick isn’t just a health crisis — it’s a potential financial catastrophe that could undo years of progress. One emergency surgery, one extended hospital stay and suddenly you’re in debt for years.

“This fear of getting sick shapes everything from how families save to what they’re willing to sacrifice,” according to Anthony Oundjian, managing director and senior partner at BCG Manila and co-author of the report.

Health is a household’s deepest vulnerability. With 71 percent of families fearing medical emergencies could bankrupt them, health protection must go beyond PhilHealth to cover vulnerable middle-class households who use the privately owned for-profit hospitals. One serious hospitalization and a middle-class family join the ranks of the new poor.

Health care, like education, is a major concern. But both have also been the major failures of our government. Because our well-off public officials do not have the same fear most Filipinos have about health care affordability, it is not a priority in budget setting.

Indeed, BBM allowed then Finance Secretary Ralph Recto to sequester the funds of PhilHealth to pay for pork barrel projects of legislators. Think about it, Recto funded ghost flood control projects with money supposed to help us pay our healthcare bills.

Last September, BBM belatedly ordered the return of the P60 billion Recto took from PhilHealth. It is now December and the money has not been returned.

Instead of a system that recognizes our right to health care, our people are forced to go to politicians for a guarantee letter to cover a patient’s expenses in a government hospital. People are also made to beg for assistance from PAGCOR and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes.

The out-of-pocket or OOP payments of Filipinos availing themselves of health care services is estimated at 42.7 percent of total current health expenditure in 2024. That means nearly half of all health spending is paid directly by households.

This heavy reliance on high OOP expenditures results in significant financial hardship or catastrophic health spending for many households.

Health spending in the Philippines has more than doubled over the past decade, crossing P1 trillion in 2021 and is expected to reach P1.4 trillion in 2024.

But the fragmented, unevenly run health system is keeping Universal Health Care (UHC) forever in the realm of our dreams.

Growth in health spending has not guaranteed equitable or efficient access to healthcare. PIDS research specialist Therese Jules Tomas emphasized that investments in infrastructure remain uneven.

“Bed capacity is not keeping up with population growth,” Tomas noted, a gap that reflects the wider challenges of uneven infrastructure development across regions.

Former DOH OIC Dr. Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire highlighted in a PIDS forum the persistent gaps in the Philippines’ health facilities despite 15 years of investments. Many barangay health stations remain non-operational, while smaller hospitals lack adequate funding.

Meanwhile, Zuellig Family Foundation chairperson Dr. Manuel Dayrit highlighted inefficient spending and fragmented governance. Capital investments often fail to account for staffing or equipment needs, creating underutilized facilities.

WeSolve Foundation president Mr. Kenneth Isaiah Ibasco Abante highlighted the need to address corruption in health spending, describing it as a “cancer” hindering progress. He called for empowering civil society, LGUs and researchers to track budgets and projects.

In ASEAN, we are in a second group of countries with struggling health care systems. Expectedly, The Economist Intelligence Unit placed Singapore 2nd out of 166 countries for health care outcomes. The Bloomberg Global Health Index of 163 countries ranked Singapore the 4th healthiest country in the world and first in Asia.

Singapore uses a stable “3M” (Medisave, MediShield and Medifund) self-financing model that ensures citizens have savings to cover health care costs.

Brunei and Thailand have the lowest out-of-pocket (OOP) health care expenditures in the region, with Thailand’s UHC program providing affordable access for citizens.

In terms of quality, Singapore consistently ranks among the top globally for health care quality. Malaysia and Thailand also boast high-rated systems with a balance of affordability and expertise, attracting international patients.

These nations consistently demonstrate high health resource agglomeration (e.g., hospital beds, doctors, nurses) and resource allocation efficiency. They have better infrastructure and more developed private health care sectors.

We have a lot of catching up to do. It is not just a question of lack of funds. Often, resources are wasted due to inadequate management at the DOH level.

For instance, there are the so-called “ghost health centers.” There are over 300 newly built but non-operational Boo chanco From B 3

health facilities, many of which are designed to be “super health centers”.

The primary reasons for their non-operation include a lack of health care staff, funding delays and ongoing construction or completion issues, such as incomplete utilities or insufficient funding to finish projects.

Incompetence and corruption plague our health care system. In 2023 alone, DOH junked P11.18 billion worth of expired medicines and vaccines.

Our national leaders fail to appreciate the importance of having a healthy population to spur economic growth. universal health care should no longer be just a dream, if we elect better leaders.

Boo Chanco’s email address is [email protected]. Follow him on X @boochanco