Influencing Policy Development in the Philippines

ACCESS Health Philippines is an adviser to the Philippines Department of Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau and the Health Facility Development Bureau. The Philippines Department of Health formulates policies, sets standards, and defines rules and regulations for every health program and initiative implemented in the country.  These initiatives are supported by administrative orders, which serve as the basis for the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of these health programs. Through the years, there have been around two thousand administrative orders and sixteen thousand department orders.

The high volume of these issuances has sowed some degree of confusion in the system, with it becoming more and more difficult to keep track of issuances that are still relevant today. ACCESS Health has been commissioned to review all existing health facility administrative and department orders to identify gaps and provide recommendations for policy directions through a policy plan and legislative agenda. As part of our effort, we have developed an omnibus policy for health facilities to facilitate licensing agreements and compliance with facility standards.