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The Program on Health Systems Development (PHSD) investigates problems of and innovates solutions for health systems and hopes to bridge some of the persistent divides that have hampered health systems in the Philippines. These include, among others, barriers between public health and clinical-surgical medicine; among levels and types of health professionals; among the differing perspectives and sometimes opposing interests of patients, health professionals, health policymakers, and other stakeholders; and between the public and private sector.

Although this mission inevitably applies scientific rigor to the parts of health systems, the goal is to improve the whole in terms of overall performance and outcomes.

Adopting a systems-thinking perspective, PHSD facilitates and promotes dialogue between medical and non-medical fields to produce insights, methods, networks, and opportunities related to the improvement of the health of individuals and populations and the development of the Philippine health landscape.

Philippine Primary Care Studies

The flagship project of the Program is Philippine Primary Care Studies (PPCS). The PPCS is a series of quasi-experimental pilot studies in representative settings in the Philippines: corporate, rural, and geographically isolated disadvantaged areas (GIDAs). 

PHSD will also conduct studies, surveys, and data mining on health systems enhancements and outcome measures such as patient satisfaction, knowledge and quality of primary care, financial risk protection, and administrative efficiency.

The PPCS evaluates the shift toward comprehensive universal social health insurance-funded primary care system across eight main outcome areas:

• Utilization of benefits;
• Patient satisfaction;
• Health care provider satisfaction;
• Health care worker knowledge;
• Quality of care;
• Health outcomes;
• Financial risk protection; and
• Administration and governance.

The studies also focus on six workstreams in strengthening primary care:

• Workforce development;
• Public–private partnerships;
• Financing;
• Community engagement;
• Health information systems; and
• Monitoring and evaluation.