Philippines

Limited access to health services and information for Filipinos, especially those who are poor, less educated, and living in rural and remote regions, is an issue that must addressed. URC’s first project in Philippines was USAID’s Primary Health Care Operations Research Project (PRICOR), designed to guide developing countries in strengthening their primary heath care services. The project investigated, in partnership with health care providers and their managers in developing countries, the use of community health workers, community mobilization, community financing of primary health services, and community-based commodity distribution. Upon PRICOR’s closure, this work continued with the Quality Assurance Project, through with URC helped to raise awareness that quality improvement (QI) is an essential component of health system strengthening and that quality standards and QI capacity development are vital to the development of health care systems in even the most resource-constrained countries. URC continued its work toward increasing access to health care services, implementing the Health Promotion and Communication Project (HealthPRO), which was USAID’s lead vehicle for providing technical assistance in health promotion and communication to the Philippine Department of Health, local government units, and other collaborating institutions.