Help create healthy, thriving communities.
Why health?
“The right to health for all people means that everyone should have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without suffering financial hardship,” says World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Healthy communities are crucial to sustaining development and reducing many existing inequalities. With good healthcare, people are able to pursue opportunities for self-improvement and live long, happy lives. However, quality healthcare remains unavailable to a significant number of people. WHO estimates that at least 400 million people globally lack access to basic healthcare, with a staggering 1.6 billion people living in “fragile” settings where weak national capacity coupled with protracted crises present a significant challenge to accessing the health services they need. This holds true for the Philippines, where people have very limited access to medical care.
Challenges to accessibility are systemic and include issues like the lack of resources, poor capacity in existing facilities, and lack of medical personnel. The country had a 1:1,100 hospital bed to population ratio prior to COVID-19. There is a significant shortage of health personnel, with a doctor to patient ratio of 1:33,000. This is an alarming number given that the WHO recommendation is at 1:1,000 for doctor to population ratio. With over 65% of hospitals in the country being private entities, low-income individuals are put at an even greater disadvantage. Additionally, only 47% of barangays (smallest administrative unit) in the country had a designated public healthcare facility. The COVID-19 pandemic has put further strain on an already fragile healthcare system, with hospitals unable to keep up with the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country. This has made it even more difficult for Filipinos to access the medical care they need.
What We’re Doing
The Ruth Sembrano Foundation supports accessible and quality healthcare for all through the Ruth Sembrano Clinic in Tondo Manila. Here, we are creating scalable solutions to medical problems found in the poorest communities in the Philippines. Through our work, we aim to help strengthen the capacity of the country’s healthcare system in poor communities to create healthy, thriving communities.
Providing Medical Services and Supplies
We provide free medical training, services, and supplies to the community surrounding the Ruth Sembrano Clinic in Tondo Manila. Through this, community members will become equipped to provide emergency and non-emergency primary care as well as professional medical care through our medical staff.
Investing in Medical Infrastructure
We contructed The Ruth Sembrano Clinic to increase access to medical care in Manila’s poorest community. Our infrastructure projects are designed to be developed and implemented in coordination with grassroots organizations, public health offices, healthcare personnel, and other relevant stakeholders.
The Ruth Sembrano Foundation Medical Impact
The Ruth Sembrano Foundation Medical Impact
In 2023, The Ruth Sembrano Foundation proudly partnered with Project PEARLS to establish The Ruth Sembrano Clinic in Tondo, Manila. Located in Barangay 105, an area commonly known as Hapilan, the clinic serves a community of approximately 12,000 residents who face significant challenges in accessing quality healthcare.
Barangay 105 struggles with severe health issues due to widespread poverty and unsanitary living conditions. The community’s primary source of food, pag-pag—recycled scraps of discarded food—poses serious risks of foodborne illnesses and malnutrition. Additionally, many residents rely on scavenging through trash for their livelihood, exposing them to hazardous materials and environmental toxins.
The Ruth Sembrano Clinic addresses these critical health challenges with a dedicated team of medical professionals who provide compassionate and essential healthcare services. It also functions as a critical medical supply node, enabling rapid responses to immediate medical needs in the area.
Beyond daily medical care, the clinic runs mission trips and distributes much-needed medicines, ensuring that life-saving treatments and preventive care reach those who need them most.
More than just a healthcare facility, The Ruth Sembrano Clinic represents hope, resilience, and the transformative power of collaboration. Together with our partners and volunteers, we are committed to improving the lives of Barangay 105’s residents and building a healthier future for Tondo, one patient and one family at a time.
