Strengthening Philippine Health Policy and Systems Research
During the 19th Philippine National Health Research Week, the Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology launched the Philippine Network for Health Policy and Systems Research (PN4HPSR). The launch marks an important step toward strengthening collaboration among researchers, policymakers, institutions, and other stakeholders to improve the Philippine health system. As the network moves from its launch into implementation, I would like to share a few reflections on what could help make it meaningful and sustainable in the country.
First, collaboration must happen beyond formal convenings. Being part of a network is not necessarily the same as being connected to the right person at the right time. Engagement in this field can sometimes depend on one well-connected office or individual. This can work well until that person moves to another role or becomes stretched too thin. When relationships are built around a single individual, much of that institutional connection can disappear with them.
The strength of a network should be measured not only by how often it meets, but by whether meaningful connections continue even as people and positions change.
Second, the network can make mentorship more intentional. Being part of the same network as researchers whom we deeply respect and admire is already a privilege. But being part of a network is not automatically the same as being mentored.
For emerging researchers like me, one of the most valuable forms of mentorship may come from someone outside their own institution, someone who can provide honest and constructive feedback on where their work still needs to grow. Such relationships can be difficult to develop organically across institutions. The network provides an opportunity to make cross-institutional mentorship a deliberate part of its structure, rather than leaving it to chance.
Third, we should pay attention to the processes that shape how research gets done. I say this with respect for our institutions and for the people working within them. I have written previously (“Access to resources still a problem for researchers,” 1/23/24) about the challenges of conducting research in the Philippines. Financial, administrative, procurement, and ethics requirements, sometimes compounded by unclear or overlapping policies, can quietly consume substantial time and energy.
As the network develops, I hope it can create space to understand and address these realities— not only how research funds are procured, but also how they are downloaded, managed, and accounted for. Strengthening HPSR requires strengthening the environment in which HPSR is actually conducted.
Finally, regional networks deserve the same attention as the national network. I appreciate that regional participation was considered from the outset. As presented during the launch, Caraga has shown what can be achieved when regional collaboration is properly resourced and supported. I hope that what made this possible in Caraga can eventually become something that every region can expect as a matter of course, rather than an exception.
I do not believe the PN4HPSR needs to be reinvented. It has already been thoughtfully designed, and its establishment is an important achievement. What I hope is that the same care given to its planning will also be reflected in the everyday experience of being part of the network: convening that outlasts any one person, mentorship that deliberately crosses institutional boundaries, attention to the processes that enable research, and regional networks given the same weight as the national one.
If we can get these right, I believe more Philippine health policy and systems research will not only be completed, but will also find its way into the hands of the people and institutions that shape health policy and improve the health of Filipinos.
Reiner Lorenzo J. Tamayo,
