Licensing, certification seen as bottlenecks to hospital expansion

THE Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) said hospital licensing and physical facility standards need to be reviewed to accelerate the establishment of new hospitals and healthcare facilities, thereby easing the hospital bed shortage.

“The council recommends a shift to outcome-based regulations, which would streamline hospital renewal processes and promote network-based healthcare models for better resource distribution,” the PSAC said in a statement over the weekend.

“This reform is crucial, as the country faces a hospital bed deficit amid increasing demand,” it added.

According to the PSAC, the Philippines needs to add 240,000 hospital beds this year to meet demand.

“The Philippines, as of 2020, had over 110,000 beds — 45% government and 55% private,” it said in an e-mail on Monday.

Citing the World Health Organization recommendations, the PSAC said that the ratio of hospital beds per 1,000 population should be 3.0.

In the Philippines, the hospital beds per 1,000 population ratio is only 1.0. It is 2.2 in the National Capital Region but 0.5 in Mimaropa.

The PSAC also supported plans to expand community pharmacies and allow licensed pharmacists to oversee multiple pharmacies amid a shortage of license holders.

“A regulatory sandbox approach is being explored to allow licensed pharmacists to oversee multiple pharmacies remotely, leveraging telepharmacy services and enhancing the role of pharmacy assistants,” the PSAC said, estimating the shortage at 27,500 pharmacists.

The PSAC also advocated for fast-track approvals of 14 essential medicines that target diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and various cancers to provide relief to patients by reducing drug prices. — Justine Irish D. Tabile