Health Secretary Francisco Duque expressed confidence that the Philippines will achieve its goal of attaining universal healthcare coverage by 2040. ADVERTISEMENTSpeaking before health experts, the health secretary trumpeted the Sin Tax Law of 2012, a landmark landmark legislation that heavily taxes tobacco and alcohol, making it less accessible to the most vulnerable. The income generated from sin tax funds the government’s universal health coverage through the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). “The Philippines feels that the discourse on global public health needs to be bold and ambitious if we are to cope with the unprecedented speed of change in health determinants that makes our work challenging but unspeakably fulfilling,” he said. Duque led the Philippine delegation to the health assembly, which was attended by 194 United Nation member states.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 04, 2018 09:56 UTC