State-run Development Bank of the Philippines offered to provide financing to public and private health care institutions and boost the overall capacity of the health care system in the country.
DBP president and chief executive Emmanuel Herbosa said the bank’s initiatives under the Strategic Healthcare Investments for Enhanced Lending and Development program would be beneficial to companies and local government units seeking to enhance accessibility to healthcare services especially to low-income groups in underserved communities.
“DBP is prepared to fill in the need to develop new healthcare facilities in the country and improve overall preparedness of the nation especially during outbreaks and national public health emergencies” Herbosa said in a statement.
Based on government data, there are more than 1,400 hospitals in the country with about 32 percent or around 463 run by the government. Of the total number, about 58 percent are located in Luzon, 17 percent in the Visayas and 19 percent in Mindanao.
DBP SHIELD is a specially-designed program that provides funding support to hospitals, laboratories, diagnostic centers, clinics, and primary care providers.