Future of PH health care depends on workforce
The Philippines has long supplied nurses, caregivers, and other health professionals worldwide. Filipinos are recognized for their skill, compassion, and resilience. Yet this global reputation masks a fragile health-care system at home. Human resources for health are not merely a workforce concern; they underpin public health, economic stability, and national security.
Gaps persist across the health workforce value chain, from education and licensure to employment, retention, and continuing professional development (CPD). Despite many enrolling in health sciences programs, training does not always match system needs, such as on universal health care (UHC), while specialist training remains concentrated in urban centers. The World Health Organization projects a global health workforce shortage of 11 million by 2030, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries.
We must then ask: Do we have enough health workers, are they competent, and can they serve where they are needed?
Fixing the workforce value chain. Many graduates cannot find stable, adequately paid local jobs and seek opportunities abroad. Others leave their programs or never practice despite obtaining licenses. Rigid civil service and licensure rules can also limit access to nonclinical health roles, while costly CPD and fragmented training leave professionals without the skills the health system needs.
The result is a paradox: the Philippines produces health professionals at scale, yet rural communities remain understaffed, public hospitals are overstretched, and emergency response capacity is vulnerable. These gaps threaten UHC.
A value chain approach should align education, regulation, employment, and deployment with national health needs, helping professionals build careers while encouraging them to stay or return.
Mobilizing the private sector. Nearly two-thirds of Philippine hospitals are privately operated, yet their workforce remains underrepresented in long-term planning under the Department of Health’s National Human Resources for Health Master Plan 2020-2040.
Stronger collaboration among private hospitals, educational institutions, and government agencies could improve training, recruitment, deployment, and retention.
The Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act of 2024 offers another opportunity through apprenticeship, learnership, and dual training. Employers and training institutions should use these mechanisms to address skills gaps. Recognizing relevant technical competencies as academic credits could also create pathways to degrees, professional qualifications, and career advancement.
Aligning skills with national needs. Government must coordinate health, labor, and education policies with private sector support. A multisectoral body of regulators, employers, educators, workers, and students could identify emerging skills and connect training to workforce demand.
Currently, career choices and market forces contribute to oversupply in some fields and shortages in others. Better data is needed to determine how many professionals are required, in which specialties, and where they should work, while respecting individual career aspirations.
Education standards should also align with the Philippine Qualifications Framework and UHC priorities, ensuring professionals remain globally competitive and prepared to meet local needs.
Reforming health governance. Boards overseeing hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical device firms, and laboratories make decisions affecting health-care quality and sustainability. Drawing lessons from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Insurance Commission, the government should similarly establish appropriate governance and leadership standards for board members of health-care organizations.
Building more hospitals alone cannot guarantee better care. Investment must also strengthen primary care and address workforce shortages. Infrastructure without sufficient and qualified personnel cannot fulfill its purpose.
A matter of national security. A depleted and maldistributed health workforce weakens the country’s ability to respond to pandemics, disasters, and emerging threats. It deepens inequality and erodes public trust, making workforce planning a national security concern.
Regulators must move beyond minimum compliance toward measurable outcomes and accountability. Retaining professionals requires not only competitive pay but also safe working conditions, supportive workplaces, and credible career pathways.
The question is no longer whether the Philippines can afford to strengthen its health workforce value chain. It is whether the country can afford not to.
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Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go is a senior research fellow at the Health Governance Program of the Ateneo Policy Center, School of Government. Nathan Santos is a research assistant and Angel Faye Castillo is a program manager at the center. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ateneo de Manila University.
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