TACLOBAN CITY – Eastern Samar Gov. Ralph Vincent Evardone has pledged to increase funding for healthcare services to improve access to medical care, particularly for poor and geographically isolated communities.

Speaking at the Universal Health Care (UHC) Summit 2026 at the provincial capitol gymnasium on Thursday, Evardone said the provincial government would allocate more resources for local hospitals, medicines, and essential healthcare services.

He acknowledged that limited local government resources and Eastern Samar's rugged terrain continue to hinder residents' access to quality healthcare.

"Our commitment is to strengthen healthcare services by increasing support for our hospitals, medicines, and other essential health programs," Evardone said.

The summit gathered local chief executives, municipal health officials, and other healthcare stakeholders to discuss the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law in the province.

Evardone described universal healthcare as a vital program in bridging the healthcare gap, particularly for communities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

The Universal Health Care Act, signed into law in February 2019, automatically enrolls all Filipinos in the National Health Insurance Program, guaranteeing equitable access to quality and affordable healthcare services.

The summit also tackled strategies to reduce out-of-pocket health expenses, manage special health funds, strengthen local nutrition governance, and promote best practices among local government units.

Data presented by the Eastern Samar Provincial Health Office showed that pneumonia was the province's leading cause of death in 2025, with 44 deaths per 100,000 population.

The office also reported that seven of the province's top 10 causes of death were non-communicable diseases, including acute myocardial infarction, hypertensive cardiovascular disease, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hypertension.

Participants also discussed environmental sanitation, drinking water security, and wastewater management as key components of improving public health.