The Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit (HEAL) COVID-19 Project, funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB), is supporting the Philippines in scaling up its COVID-19 response by providing medical equipment and supplies to health facilities that treat COVID-19 cases. It will establish pandemic subnational reference laboratories and isolation wards to strengthen testing capacity, surveillance, infection prevention and control, and treatment for COVID-19. It will also improve the preparedness and resilience of the health system for future public health threats.

HEAL was approved on 24 August 2020, with a loan amount of $125 million. The loan agreement was signed on 8 September 2020 and became effective on 13 October 2020. The project is expected to complete on 30 June 2023 and will close on 31 December 2023.

Currently, there is an ongoing request for the extension of the loan project. The request is now under the deliberation of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board. Once approved, the loan shall be extended for 1.5 years equating to the project close on 30 June 2026 and the implementation period by 31 December 2025

As the project executing agency and implementing agency, the Department of Health (DOH) is responsible for the overall management of the project. DOH established a project management team (PMT), with a project director and project manager, to oversee the day-to-day administration and implementation of the project. A technical support unit (TSU) comprising individual consultants supports the PMT in all stages of implementation.

Target vs Actual Progress as of 18 October 2024