SORSOGON, Bicol— The Data-Driven Development in the Philippines (PH3D) project uses evidence-based and technology-powered decision-making tools to address concerns in local development. Led by Action for Economic Reforms (AER) and co-funded by the European Union, PH3D aims to improve service-delivery and transparency of local governance by enhancing the capacity of local government units (LGUs) and civil society towards data-driven participatory decision-making.
On August 26, 2022, AER held a Data Preparation and Analysis capacity building workshop at the People’s Mansion in Sorsogon City. AER has been working with the provincial government of Sorsogon for the data-driven implementation of Universal Health Care (UHC) since the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) as well as Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) last September 2021.
Dr. Edgar Garcia, Sorsogon’s UHC Executive Director, stressed the importance of utilizing digital methods and infrastructure for policy making decisions. He said that the improvement and deployment of a data dashboard will help the province to better analyze the needed health services. In addition, it will encourage every Municipal Health Office (MHO) to actively contribute to UHC initiatives starting with collecting and sharing good quality health data from their respective areas.
Participants noted that the province’s journey to digital transformation will require some time because while some data are already machine-readable, others are still kept in unstructured format (printed copy). More importantly, a lot of work is still needed to achieve interoperability of the various health information systems used across the province. Local officials emphasized that the LGUs’ use of different platforms for data collection, aggregation and storage pose a central barrier to making targeted and strategic decisions to achieve desired local health outcomes. The attendees also suggested that efforts to resolve interoperability issues and strategies for UHC implementation should be cascaded down to the municipal level. One of the ideas that came up is the creation of a referral system to improve timely response to health emergencies or events of public concern, enhance quality of care, and optimize utilization of facilities across the province.
Data validation is also needed to determine the disbursement of special funds to the health care facilities specified under the UHC policy. The limitations in data sharing between health care facilities and the government-sponsored health insurance (PhilHealth) slows down the validation process and therefore, the transfer of funds and disbursements to these facilities.
and the lack of interoperability between the digital platforms of Sorsogon’s health care facilities and the government’s health insurance provider, PhilHealth for example, slows down the fund transfers and disbursements to the province’s health care facilities.
AER’s Data Preparation and Analysis workshop used a blended learning modality comprising online viewing, face-to-face sessions, and post workshop activities. This is the fourth of the five core courses available through AER’s Policy and Research Institute for Development (PRIDE) platform.
Attendees included LGU Department/Office heads and staff, representatives from the Universal Health Care Office, Vice Governor’s Office, chiefs and heads of district and municipal hospitals, and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
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Action for Economic Reforms (AER) was established in 1996 and is a policy research, advocacy, and action group by publicly-engaged political economists with focus on various sectors from fiscal policy, food and agriculture, industrial policy, governance, interface, and data-driven development.
PH3D, a component of AER’s data-driven development focus and co-funded by the European Union (EU), helps Local Government Units (LGU) deliver their priority projects using data and technology, and community alliances. Using this framework, LGUs will have access to actionable evidence that will empower them to view macro and micro data, prioritize programs, manage resources, enhance capacity, and get support from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).