A public health researcher from Ateneo de Manila University has identified governance gaps, fragmented systems, and unequal healthcare access as among the major obstacles preventing the full implementation of universal healthcare in the Philippines.

During the latest Ateneo Breakthroughs lecture, Veincent Christian F. Pepito, assistant professor at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health’s Center for Research and Innovation, discussed the continuing challenges faced by the country’s healthcare system despite the passage of the Universal Healthcare Act in 2019.

“For many Filipinos, illness doesn’t begin with a diagnosis. It begins with a question: How much will this cost us?” Pepito said during the lecture.

According to Pepito, healthcare remains difficult to access for many Filipinos due to gaps between national policies and local implementation, insufficient budgets, uneven distribution of health workers, and ineffective digital systems.

His research, which involved interviews with healthcare workers, government officials, and patients, highlighted how many Filipinos still delay or avoid medical treatment because of financial constraints.

Pepito also noted that healthcare is often not prioritized politically compared to infrastructure projects that produce more visible results for voters.

“The result is a system that lives on paper but struggles in practice,” the research presentation stated.

Filomeno Aguilar, assistant vice president for research, creative work, and innovation at Ateneo, said universal healthcare requires more than policy reforms alone.

“A health system must be built, coordinated, financed, staffed, trusted, and made intelligible to the people it is meant to serve,” Aguilar said.

Despite the challenges, the lecture also highlighted ongoing efforts to improve primary care services, strengthen local healthcare leadership, and develop systems allowing patient records to move more efficiently across facilities.

Pepito said universal healthcare remains “a promise in progress” as long as Filipinos continue to postpone treatment or compromise healthcare because of financial burdens.