In a landmark collaboration that brings together public health and social justice, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Wednesday convened a learning forum titled “Health as a Human Right: Bridging the Healthcare Divide.”

The forum gathered health advocates, human rights leaders, and civil society organizations (CSOs) to reaffirm a fundamental principle: access to quality healthcare is a basic human right and a state obligation.

Participants underscored the need to reorient the country’s healthcare system from one centered largely on treating diseases to one that prioritizes preventive and primary healthcare through sustained public investment.

The initiative is in step with global efforts led by the World Health Organization and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to integrate human rights into health governance and the implementation of Universal Health Care.

Goal: equitable healthcare

By anchoring healthcare delivery on a rights-based framework, PhilHealth and the CHR hope to expand equitable access to medical services, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable sectors that continue to face barriers to care.

The forum highlighted the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) as one of the government’s critical programs for the progressive realization of UHC. By making primary care access points and preventive care more widely available, the state ensures that every Filipino is protected from the financial burden of medical emergencies.

“Healthcare is a cornerstone of human dignity,” said PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Edwin M. Mercado, who is leading the activity. “Through PhilHealth YAKAP, we are transforming our healthcare system to ensure that primary and preventive care are accessible to every Filipino, regardless of their economic status. This is our commitment to fulfilling the promise of Universal Health Care.”

CHR commissioner Judge Maria Amifaith S. Fider-Reyes (Ret.), who co-led the forum, emphasized that the right to health is inextricably linked to dignity and to the right to life itself.

The Commission reiterates its commitment to working alongside PhilHealth, civil society, and all stakeholders in ensuring that the right to health is not an abstract promise but a lived reality for every Filipino.

PhilHealth and the CHR intend to institutionalize this partnership and deepen engagement with civil society. This sustained collaboration ensures that Filipinos are not only aware of their health rights but can also fully maximize the expanded primary care benefits available under the YAKAP initiative.