Strengthening local health systems and governance for Universal Health Coverage: experiences and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic response in Quezon City, Philippines

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the Philippines's transition toward universal health coverage. However, some local government units in the country made use of the pandemic as a catalyst to strengthen their local health system, scale-up the provision of preventive and primary care services, and improve health governance to make it more prepared to face future pandemics and realize the aims of the country's new Universal Healthcare Act. This paper describes the response of the local government of Quezon City, Philippines, to COVID-19 and how it strengthened local health systems. We also discuss enablers such as partnerships, collaborations, and foresight to ensure that investments during the pandemic will continue to be of use. We also identify some constraints and propose recommendations to consolidate local health system gains during the COVID-19 pandemic response in the transition toward universal health coverage.