MANILA, Philippines — The Unilab Center for Health Policy (UCHP) has officially launched a collaborative initiative with the Naga City government to strengthen primary healthcare (PHC) systems through data-driven reforms and digital innovation.
The partnership was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo and Unilab Foundation Executive Director Atty. Jose Maria Ochave. The collaboration aims to develop scalable healthcare solutions, including digital tools for primary care improvement and a streamlined service delivery framework aligned with the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.
A key component of the project is a comprehensive Health System Situation Analysis to assess Naga’s primary care capacity and referral networks. The findings will be used to create standard operating procedures and learning tools that other local government units (LGUs) across the Philippines can replicate.
“At the Unilab Center for Health Policy, we believe that those who can truly move the needle in healthcare are the local governments,” said Atty. Ochave. “Our role is to show that these primary care innovations work in this local context; it is then the leadership of Naga that will scale these efforts.”
Naga City was recognized as a UHC Integration Site by the Department of Health in 2025, joining an elite group of LGUs pioneering community-based health reforms. Mayor Robredo emphasized that the partnership would allow the city to move beyond compliance-based programs toward more strategic, data-supported healthcare delivery.
“Through this collaboration and the data we hope to get from the ground, we will be able to strategize better and allocate our resources more effectively,” Mayor Robredo said. “Naga City has always believed that healthcare is a basic right, not a privilege.”
To ensure sustainability, a Joint Steering Committee and a Technical Working Group have been established to oversee monthly implementation and workforce training, ensuring that the local population is integrated into the new digital PHC tools.
