Philippines

Improving access to health care across the country is a priority not just for the government, but also increasingly for private sector providers. Given that spending on health care is low – just $129 per person in 2009, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) – providers see a chance to tap into a wider population segment with cost-...

In many ways, the Philippines’ health care sector is a microcosm of the broader economy. Public provision is under-resourced and over-stretched, while private provision is fragmented but also plays a vital supporting role. Workers are largely well trained and skilled, but an overabundance of nurses and physicians – combined with low salaries – has...

As it seeks to simultaneously expand access and improve quality, the Philippines faces numerous challenges in the realm of education. Increasing enrolment, low levels of per capita spending and under-investment in previous years have left the sector in need of key infrastructure and educational resources. At the same time, a shifting economy demands...

Among the policies pursued by the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, the introduction of the K-12 programme is perhaps the most ambitious and controversial. It aims to provide universal kindergarten education to some 2.4m five-year-olds, while also adding two extra years of schooling at the high school level, bringing the Philippines in...