There is a saying in Filipino told in times of frugality, “pag maikli ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot.” This saying appears to be appropriate for every Filipino family when discussing health matters because every coin spent going to the doctor could have been used to pay off rent, electric and water bills, groceries and other expenses they are burdened with.
The health crisis in the Philippines is an amalgamation of privatization, health worker insufficiency, government neglect, and attacks on health workers.
From Classrooms to Migration
Several researchers have linked health worker sufficiency to better population health outcomes but the country experiences gaps in filling in the health workforce locally. As of early 2026, the Philippines has only 21.2 healthcare workers for every 10,000 people which is less than half of the 44.5 recommended ratio of the World Health Organization (WHO). The country faces a shortage in healthcare professionals, needing approximately 290,000 workers to meet the health needs of the country’s population. It is also underfunded, with the budget for health only cornering 1.45% of the country’s GDP, far below the WHO recommended 5% benchmark.
Annually, around 56% of healthcare students or 33,000 individuals do not reach the workforce. There are only 32,000 licensed graduates produced every year. By contrast, some 27,000 healthcare professionals leave the country annually.
For many years, the Philippines has been one of the largest exporters of healthcare workers. The country grapples with an occurring brain drain, unable to satisfy employee needs which in result has affected its health system. Healthcare professionals face a slew of problems in working for local hospitals such as uncompetitive pay and poor working conditions. Health workers have cited budget caps, low salaries and lack of positive work environments as reasons for migrating.
Most hospitals are concentrated in Metro Manila, with the provinces deprived of access to specialist care. If there are almost just as many migrating healthcare workers in comparison to new graduates annually, the number of doctors domestically is not enough to tend to its farthest regions.
The Cost of Health
The Philippines is reported to have some of the most expensive medicines in Southeast Asia making medicines inaccessible to many Filipino families. The high cost of medicine is due to our import dependence where more than half of the country’s medicine supply or 62% is imported. Prices rise even higher from several mark-ups placed by retailers. The same goes for locally produced drugs with imported ingredients which have higher mark-ups (355% by distributors and 117% by retailers). Prices are also expected to rise with the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the US, Israel and Iran.
Data from the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) revealed that households still pay 44.7% of total health expenditures out of pocket. With around 58% of Filipino families earning less than Php 23,000 a month, health becomes increasingly unaffordable and poor families are forced to ignore their health needs.
Lack of Government Intervention
In addition to the high cost of medicines, there is also the 12% value-added tax (VAT). While there are a handful of medicines that are VAT-exempt, this only accounts for 5% of the 50,000 recorded government-procured medicines as of 2019. Many over-the-counter medications are still taxable.
Government underfunding has also disrupted the distribution of medicines in public hospitals, limiting their supply of medical products and prompting patients to purchase medicine from private retailers who sell at more expensive prices.
Even with the implementation of the Universal Healthcare Act (UHC Act) in 2019 to provide affordable healthcare, gaps still remain.
Attacks on Health Workers
Making matters worse, attacks on health workers have been on the rise. Last March 11, 2026, Dr. Ana Marie Rilloraza and Marc Mendiola along with their companions were arbitrarily arrested for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, along with fabricated charges for murder and attempted murder.
Both Dr. Ana Marie Rilloraza and Marc Mendiola were known and respected for their work within communities. Dr. Rilloraza served as a community medicine physician, health environmentalist and rights activist for indigenous people. While Mendiola was a psychologist providing psychological first-aid in communities.
Their arrests on the basis of trumped up charges is a grave violation of human rights revealing a broad pattern of state attacks made against health workers, development workers, and human rights defenders.
As we observe World Health Day we are reminded of the growing health crisis amid government’s lack of accountability and prosecution of dedicated health workers willing to work in underserved communities at minimum or even zero compensation
We reiterate the demands for quality and affordable healthcare which can only be solved through empowering the local health sector and tending to the demands for public health. We urgently call for the repeal of VAT and excise taxes on medicines. We strongly urge the government to decisively intervene in steering health as a right of every citizen rather than billionaire profits. We call for the release of detained health workers, Dr. Ana Marie Rilloraza and Marc Mendiola and for the cessation of state attacks made against health workers and rights defenders.
There is no crime in advocating for better healthcare, especially when the Filipino people remain burdened by compounding crises. Standing up for better healthcare means standing up for the people.#