BAGUIO City Mayor Benjamin Magalong has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) to help accelerate the implementation of access to medicines under a Universal Health Care (UHC) framework.
“Health is a priority agenda for Baguio City. It is one of our primordial concerns. This MOU signing with PHAP will take us one step closer to realizing better health for all people living in the city. As the pilot city for this novel partnership, we are very committed to it. Every time we see innovation, we want to be pioneering it,” Mayor Magalong said during the MOA signing.
Under the MOU, Baguio City will be the pilot site for the first UHC Blueprint on Access to Medicines Project, which is an initiative to accelerate the implementation of access to medicines in local government units.
“We recognize that Baguio City is a leading innovation center in the country. The goal of this pilot program is to demonstrate that quality health care can be achieved through early screening and prevention, and access to innovative medicines enabled by public-private partnerships. We believe that under Mayor Magalong’s leadership, we can develop and implement access to medicines and health-care programs that benefit the people living in Baguio City,” PHAP Executive Director Teodoro Padilla said.
The MOU will set off a baseline study on the health needs of Baguio City residents, as well as commence discussions on the details of the project which has two components. The first component is the consolidation of PHAP Members’ health and medicine access programs. The second component, meanwhile, is composed of ecosystem building for a stronger healthcare system in the city.
