Improvement of the implementation procedures and management systems for the Health Facilities Enhancement Grant of the DOH

One of the major challenges in the Philippine health sector is to secure adequacy of appropriate health facilities. To address this problem, the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) was implemented by the Department of Health (DOH) in 2007. Specifically, HFEP aims to improve facilities such as health centers and barangay health stations to sufficiently provide for emergency and primary care services. It also aims to upgrade government hospitals. This study examines the implementation of the program and probes at the rationale for the selection of facilities for upgrading. It lays out policy options to improve equity and efficiency in allocation of funds.