BAGUIO CITY, Aug. 9 (PIA)– The Department of Health enjoins research institutes and academic institutions in the public and private sectors to help in the full implementation of the FOURmula 1 Plus that aims to boost the country’s effort towards Universal Health Care.

DOH Undersecretary Mario Villaverde made the call in his keynote message at the 12th Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week National Convention at Camp John Hay here, as read by DOH – Cordillera Assistant Regional Director Amelita Pangilinan.

Villaverde outlined that FOURmula 1 Plus, is not just a reform, but a transformation agenda for the DOH that implies that all its policies, plans, programs in support of the “FOUR” pillars namely financing, service delivery, governance and regulation must be based on timely and high quality evidence, while the “PLUS” is the cross – cutting initiative of performance accountability that can only be possible by valid evidence that supports action.

The DOH Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR), a cornerstone for driving F1+ for Health, is where the NHPRS Week National Convention participants will come in, he said.

In 2017, the DOH in collaboration with the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, launched the HPSR’s follow – up program AHEAD or Advancing Health towards Evidence – Assisted Decisions. Since its inception, 10 study groups have been formed doing in-house analytic work, five  institutions have been awarded 3 – year grants and 22 more projects are  underway  which are  all positioned to support F1+ for health, Villaverde disclosed.

As the DOH continues to work on a broader strategy for HPSR, Villaverde enjoined the participants to support the full implementation of F1+ through their contribution at the PNHRS.

‘The DOH more than ever needs your support to enact reforms that may be difficult at first, but are expected to be truly beneficial or “felt” by the people. Let us all work together towards a healthier Philippines contributing to the realization of the country’s long term development agenda of Ambisyon 2040, ‘ he added.

Dr. Ernesto Domingo, National Scientist and Ramon Magsaysay awardee (2013), in his keynote message, outlined that the passage of the Universal Health Care law is not the real challenge but its full implementation.

On the 2018 PNHRS Week National Convention’s theme, “Research and Innovation for Equity in Health”, Domingo also affirmed that the real challenge in health in not the diseases but the inequity. He encouraged the participants to instil curiosity, hard work and a nurturing environment in helping address the inequity problem. Aside from taking into consideration the ethics in research and technical review, he advised them to look into the human side of research.

PNHRS is an integrated national framework for health research in the country established by the Department of Science and Technology with the DOH in 2003. In 2007, the Commission on Higher Education and the University of the Philippines Manila joined as core agencies of PNHRS. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)

By Carlito C. Dar, Philippine Information Agency – CAR Published on August 10, 2018 

Article Source: https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1011400