TARLAC CITY (PIA) — The Department of Health (DOH) awarded a Certificate of Commendation to the province of Tarlac for its successful implementation of the Local Health System Maturity Level (LHS ML) Framework under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.
On behalf of the province, Tarlac Provincial Health Officer Jeanette Lazatin received the award from Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa at the Asian Development Bank Headquarters during the Universal Health Care Summit 2025.
The province was cited for its outstanding progress in UHC implementation and for its efforts in operationalizing and institutionalizing health systems, ensuring a functional, efficient, and integrated delivery of health services.
Tarlac was also acknowledged for achieving 100 percent in organizational-level and 95 percent in functional-level key result areas, indicating excellent performance and a strong and effective local health care management system.
In his speech, Herbosa emphasized the role of local leadership, saying, “To our local chief executives, as stewards of health in your provinces and cities, your leadership is both indispensable and determinative of the full realization of UHC.”
He urged local chief executives to take a more proactive role in implementing UHC by organizing functional health care provider networks, allocating local budgets that prioritize health, and institutionalizing special health funds.
The LHS ML Framework is the barometer used to measure a local government unit’s UHC integration sites link health facilities—from barangay health stations and rural health units to primary care facilities and hospitals—into a coordinated network to provide faster, affordable, and quality medical services for all Filipinos. (CLJD/MAECR, PIA Region 3-Tarlac)
