The Health of Nations: The Economic Benefits of UHC in the Context of COVID-19

Event Details

The Philippines has reached more than a year into the implementation of quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the said period, the country recorded more than 1,000,000 cases, a GDP drop to -4.2% for the first quarter of 2021, an unemployment rate of 7.1% in March 2021, among other health and economic indicators. Meanwhile, this year has also marked the start of the administration of the COVID-19 vaccines as part of the government's mass inoculation program.

Indeed, the COVID-19 global health crisis has magnified the integral role that Universal Health Care plays in ensuring the continuity of day-to-day activities, as well as the country's economic recovery and stability. In achieving this, it is essential that a multi-stakeholder approach is put in place and actively implemented.

It is in this context that the ECCP is organizing a virtual forum entitled "The Economic Benefits of Universal Health Care in the Context of COVID-19", via Zoom. With speakers from the Philippine government as well as economic and health experts, this event will highlight how a strengthened healthcare system will not only protect the lives of the Filipinos but also help safeguard the country's economy.

For inquiries, please contact Ms. Katt Baligod at katt.baligod@eccp.com.

Speakers

Dr. Rafaelita “Fita” Aldaba
Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Innovation at Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
Dr. Rafaelita “Fita” M. Aldaba is Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Innovation of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). She fulfills a key role in the formulation and implementation of the Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy (i 3S), which puts innovation at the heart of the country’s new industrial policy.

She is leading DTI’s initiatives in preparing industries for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation, establishing Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers (RIICs), and growing a robust startup ecosystem in the country.

Undersecretary Aldaba is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine Board of Investments (BOI). A researcher turned policymaker, Dr. Aldaba was Senior Research Fellow and Acting Vice-President of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. She has extensive research experience, authored various publications on development issues, and conceptualized and managed research projects with various international organizations, including The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the United States Agency for International Development.
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Ronald Mendoza, PhD
Dean and Professor of Economics at Ateneo School of Government
Ronald U. Mendoza, PhD is Dean and Professor of Economics at the Ateneo School of Government. His professional background includes work with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), as Associate Professor and Executive Director of the AIM Rizalino S.
Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness; Senior Economist with the United Nations in New York; and policy research work with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and several Manila-based non-governmental organizations. Mendoza obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics (Honors Program) from the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, his Masters in Public
Administration and International Development (MPA-ID) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Fordham University.
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