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The use of modern contraception in the Philippines is increasing steadily but is still very low compared to regional peers. Increased modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) is a key target of the Philippine government. Private providers, especially private midwives, are an important and trusted source of reproductive health services, but few offer family planning services. PhilHealth has introduced special contracting and payment mechanisms to encourage private providers to provide contraception but has seen limited impact. Through policy review, data analysis, and qualitative methods, ThinkWell is working with PhilHealth to understand why this is and to suggest solutions.
This report summarizes the team’s findings. A situation analysis suggests that demand for family planning services outstrips supply and that private providers do indeed have the capacity to fill a gap in the market. This is especially true for long-acting and reversible contraceptives (LARCs), which are underused in the Philippines, compared to regional peers. PhilHealth has high population coverage and an increasingly significant role in government health spending and is thus well-positioned to influence the market for family planning services and to encourage private provider engagement.
ThinkWell produced this report under the Strategic Purchasing for Primary Health Care (SP4PHC) grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.