To regain public confidence and trust to existing health programs of the government, the Department of Health (DOH) released the Universal Health Care (UHC) and Fourmula 1 Plus (F1) Health Priority Actions for 2019 through a Department Memorandum on December 10, 2018.

In a statement, the Health Secretary calls on the whole of DOH to deliver on their commitments to Priority Actions based on their projected impact to the UHC and F1 Plus implementation. For the first quarter, DOH has directed all agencies and hospitals to prioritize policies, programs, and plans related to Performance Governance System, communication and image, supply chain and logistics management, job order contractors transition, data submission from health care providers, community-based drug rehab, one stop shop implementation, and safety and efficacy of consumer goods.

According to RITM OIC Director, Dr. Celia C. Carlos, RITM and the rest of the DOH hospitals are expected to contribute to the attainment of the DOH F1 plus goals and their corresponding impact indicators which include better health outcomes, responsive health system, and equitable healthcare financing.

“RITM has a lot of potential to contribute to these goals ranging from providing better health care through improved patient clinical care and diagnostics, providing technical assistance in the form of training, providing evidence to support DOH policies and decisions through research and developing biologicals for the prevention and diagnosis of various infectious diseases,” says Dr. Carlos.

The DOH priority actions for 2019 was identified on the basis of the perception of DOH by three key stakeholder groups such as the institution, the direct clients such as healthcare providers and industry, and the general public.