The Covid-19 Pandemic and Health Policy Change in the Philippines

Over the past decade, healthcare systems in the Asia-Pacific region have made significant strides in their efforts to achieve universal health coverage. There are, however, many ongoing challenges in these systems that relate to access, financial protection, and strengthening public health. These challenges were brought into sharp relief by the SARS-CoV-2, or Covid-19, pandemic that caught most governments unaware and inadequately prepared. Governments across the world have had to introduce changes to their health systems to shore up weaknesses as they respond to the pandemic. Measures have included, for example, increasing funding, introducing a spectrum of regulatory measures to manage the demand for services, and playing a central role in coordination, among others. This essay describes the extent and nature of changes in the Philippines’ healthcare system that have been introduced in response to the pandemic. It looks at the extent to which these changes are relatively new or a continuation of past trends and existing universal coverage reforms.