Team siliconindia

• Philippines and India to collaborate on healthcare, sharing best practices in health coverage, telemedicine, and community health worker models.
• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between India’s National Institute of Ayurveda and the Philippine Institute of Alternative Healthcare to promote traditional medicine.
• Discussions also covered Indian medical students in the Philippines and the growing demand for affordable, high-quality liver transplants in the country.

The Philippines and India are set to strengthen ties in the healthcare sector following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s state visit to India, according to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Ted Herbosa. The collaboration aims to facilitate the exchange of best practices and explore avenues for mutual support in advancing healthcare services.

During the visit, President Marcos met with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chairman and India’s Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, at the Taj Mahal Hotel. The meeting focused on India’s proposal to pursue a health collaboration initiative with the Philippines.

Herbosa praised India’s healthcare system, highlighting its extensive coverage for over 600 million people, including services for maternal care, hypertension, and various forms of cancer. He noted that India’s use of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), akin to the Philippines’ barangay health workers, along with their integration of telemedicine, offers a model worth emulating.

“India has done a remarkable job in providing healthcare services to its vast population. Their approach to utilizing ASHA workers and telemedicine could serve as a valuable model for our own system,” Herbosa said.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between the National Institute of Ayurveda Medicine in India and the Philippine Institute of Alternative Healthcare, signaling deeper cooperation in traditional and alternative medicine.

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The two nations also discussed Indian medical students studying in the Philippines and the increasing number of Indian nationals seeking affordable, high-quality liver transplants in the country.

Herbosa expressed optimism about the partnership, emphasizing that both countries have valuable strengths to share. “We’re known globally for our nurses, and they for their doctors. There’s much we can learn from each other to improve the Philippine healthcare system”, he added.

The evolving partnership marks a new chapter in bilateral relations and offers hope for enhanced healthcare delivery in the Philippines.