Evidence for Health

31/12/2025

"𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧"

As the year draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting less on outputs and more on what this year revealed about systems—and our place within them.

This year reinforced a familiar but uncomfortable truth: progress in health systems is rarely linear. Policies that look sound on paper falter when they collide with entrenched incentives, institutional path dependencies, and political realities. Coverage does not automatically translate to access. Infrastructure does not guarantee care. And reform, when detached from governance and capability, often reproduces the very failures it seeks to fix.

At the same time, this year also offered quiet optimism. I saw local leaders make difficult, evidence-informed decisions despite constraints. I saw frontline workers adapt systems that were never designed with them in mind. I saw how sustained work—often invisible, incremental, and unglamorous—slowly bends systems toward equity.

Through research, policy work, and capacity building, I was reminded that evidence is not just about producing knowledge; it is about timing, translation, and trust. Evidence only matters when it meets institutions where they are—and helps them move, even slightly, toward where they need to be.

As we step into a new year, my hope is not for perfect reforms, but for braver conversations:
– about what is politically convenient versus what is systemically sound.
– about short-term wins versus long-term resilience.
– about designing health systems not just to function, but to endure.

I am grateful for collaborators, colleagues, and partners who continue to do this work seriously and with integrity. Here’s to another year of building, questioning, and staying uncomfortable in the service of better health systems.RX

13/12/2025

UHC is not a health reform. It is a promise—that every person can access the care they need without financial hardship.

But promises need guardians. Local governments, providers, national agencies, and communities must work together to ensure people get real protection—not piecemeal, not optional, and not dependent on luck or geography.

We want...
📍 public spending that reduces out-of-pocket costs
📍 transparent pricing of medicines and diagnostics
📍 guaranteed primary care benefits that work everywhere, not just in model sites
📍 real accountability from national and local health authorities, and a
📍 culture where every Filipino knows and claims their right to health

Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it.
This we are demanding better—because every Filipino deserves to live without fear of financial ruin from illness.

02/12/2025

HealthSystemsRX
"𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐇𝐂: 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲"

We have spent more than a decade chasing universal health “coverage” — but did we mistake the map for the territory?

In the Philippines and beyond, UHC has been reduced to counting: insured lives, accredited facilities, expanded packages. But does coverage really guarantee care? It is time to shift the conversation. UHC isn’t about ticking boxes; it’s about building the system’s capability to deliver real, reliable, equitable care. When we shift the lens from coverage to capability, we start measuring what actually matters.

Read here: https://lnkd.in/g6Hvzuvn

23/11/2025

HealthSystemsRX
"𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬?"

We keep trying to fix health systems with quick solutions. The sobering truth is that the next big idea won’t save broken systems – whether it’s digital health, financing reform, or integration. Innovations only work when the underlying system is aligned. Let's unpack why real progress begins with systemic thinking, and start strengthening the foundations that make reforms stick.

Read and subscribe here:

Rethinking health systems for impact.

05/11/2025

"𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬"

Last September 23-25, 2025, a "Capacity Strengthening Workshop for CSOs on Social Contracting for TB-HIV Services" marked an important step in advancing civil society’s role in health governance and service delivery. The ongoing implementation of the Universal Health Care in the Philippines creates a critical policy window to institutionalize civil society organization (CSO) participation in service delivery, shaping a more resilient and participatory health system.

Social contracting offers a pathway for the government to formally engage CSOs in financing and delivering essential health services. This approach not only diversifies service delivery models but also strengthens accountability, community participation, and equity, particularly reaching those people who are underserved and marginalized.

The workshop was part of a broader capacity strengthening initiative organized by IDEALS Inc. and the Cullion Foundation, with support from the Philippine Business for Social Progress through The Global Fund. It was facilitated by Vergil de Claro, co-founder and principal of E4H, who shared key concepts of social contracting, unpacked the Philippine policy and financing context that enables this approach, and guided the CSOs in identifying potential funding opportunities under the UHC framework.

The activity aimed to build the readiness of CSOs to navigate contracting processes, compliance, and performance monitoring, while also developing a collective action agenda for sustained CSO engagement with the government. Through interactive discussions and learning sessions, participants explored actionable strategies to sustain CSOs’ role in TB-HIV service delivery—ensuring that civil society remains a vital partner in achieving health for all.

Congratulations to all CSO representatives and partners who continue to champion collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility in advancing TB and HIV programs in the Philippines.

14/10/2025

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭!

Our latest commentary, “Strengthening Health Financing Research to Advance Universal Health Coverage: Gaps, Opportunities, and Policy Imperatives for the Philippines,” has just been published in Inquiry!

E4H, with co-authors Wanda Calderon Villar and Michille Sabulao from PhilHealth, examines the state of health financing research in the Philippines and explores how it can be leveraged to support equitable, evidence-driven reforms. While policy commitments toward UHC are growing, we note that many decisions continue to be driven by fiscal and political pressures rather than systematic, empirical evidence.

We also discussed persistent challenges, spotlighted ongoing initiatives, and proposed a five-point action agenda moving forward:
- prioritize strategic research areas
- expand capacities for health financing research
- enable transparent and open data sharing
- build stronger links between research and policy
- ensure sustainable and diversified funding for research

Positioning research as a core component of health system governance is essential to advancing financial protection, equity, and effective UHC in the Philippines.

Read the full article here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00469580251381586

14/10/2025

“𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬: 𝐀 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐇𝐂.”

Last September 18, 2025, we were honored to join the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of PhilHealth STUDIES, a milestone that not only marks a decade of advancing knowledge and driving meaningful health financing reforms, but also demonstrates the vital role of research in shaping policies that bring us closer to Universal Health Care.

We are deeply grateful as well that E4H co-founding member, Vergil de Claro, was recognized as one of the STUDIES Champions. This affirms the importance of collective work in bridging research, policy, and practice.

Congratulations to PhilHealth STUDIES on this remarkable achievement! We look forward to many more years of collaboration and evidence generation to advance equitable and sustainable health financing for all Filipinos.

14/10/2025

We stand with Filipinos in calling for transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. We believe that strong institutions, transparent systems, and accountable governance are as essential to public health as doctors, medicines, and hospitals.

14/10/2025

"𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 – 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬"

This week, we had the privilege of working with an inspiring group of leaders and staff from PhilHealth Regional Office 5 - Bicol Region for a capacity-strengthening course focused on policy implementation and evaluation.

From identifying political and operational challenges to crafting actionable strategies and monitoring frameworks, the sessions were filled with rich insights and a strong commitment to improving how policies are translated into meaningful outcomes. As we emphasized throughout the course:

“𝘈 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘈 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.” ~ 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘰, 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳

Kudos to the PRO5 team for their active participation, thoughtful reflections, and commitment to making UHC work at the frontline. Let’s continue pushing for policies that don’t just stay on paper—but create real, measurable impact on the ground.