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 will support accessible and quality healthcare for all by partnering with local public hospitals, clinics, and health centers to help modernize their infrastructure. Through our work, we aim to help strengthen the capacity of the country’s healthcare system and create healthy, thriving communities.
Providing Medical Training
Work with local organizations to provide free training on equipment and medical supplies to our target beneficiaries. Through this, community members will become equipped to provide emergency and non-emergency primary care. This will be beneficial particularly for communities in remote areas, and in areas where there is very limited access to medical resources.
Investing in Medical Infrastructure
Modernize healthcare facilities to ensure that they are able to provide the best possible care for community members. All infrastructure projects will be developed and implemented in coordination with grassroots organizations, public health offices, healthcare personnel, and other relevant stakeholders.
