THE PHILIPPINE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM

The Department of Health shall be responsible for the following: formulation and development of national health policies, guidelines, standards and manual of operations for health services and programs; issuance of rules and regulations, licenses and accreditations; promulgation of national health standards, goals, priorities and indicators; development of special health programs and projects and advocacy for legislation on health policies and programs. The primary function of the Department of Health is the promotion, protection, preservation or restoration of the health of the people through the provision and delivery of health services and through the regulation and encouragement of providers of health goods and services (E.O. No. 119, Sec. 3).

Vision:

Health as a right. Health for All Filipinos by the year 2000 and Health in the Hands of the People by the year 2020.

Mission:

The mission of the DOH, in partnership with the people to ensure equity, quality and access to health care: * by making services available

* by arousing community awareness

* by mobilizing resources

* by promoting the means to better health

LEVELS OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES

1. PRIMARY LEVEL OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES

 * are the rural health units, their sub-centers, chest clinics, malaria eradication units, and schistosomiasis control units operated by the DOH; puericulture centers operated by League of Puericulture Centers; tuberculosis clinics and hospitals of the Philippine Tuberculosis Society; private clinics, clinics operated by the Philippine Medical Association; clinics operated by large industrial firms for their employees; community hospitals and health centers operated by the Philippine Medicare Care Commission and other health facilities operated by voluntary religious and civic groups (Williams-Tungpalan, 1981).

2. SECONDARY LEVEL OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES

* are the smaller, non-departmentalized hospitals including emergency and regional hospitals. * Services offered to patients with symptomatic stages of disease, which require m