Philippine Health & Blindness Profile 2008

Updated 2020-03-10 10:45:00

Edit and re-write by Prut Hanutsaha, M.D.
The Republic of Philippines is a country made up of 7,107 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The country has total area of about 300,000 square kilometers. Manila is the capital and the largest city in the country. Philippines is a democratic country. The government is divided into national and local sectors. Both national and local governments are elected by the people. Local autonomy in the provinces, cities, and municipalities are mandated by law. Philippines is divided into 16 regions, 81 provinces, 136 cities, 1,494 municipalities, and 41,995 Barangays. The population in Philippines increases rapidly from 76.5 million in the year 2000 to 92 million in the year 2009. The annual population growth rate is over 2% each year. Children aged 0-14 years account for 37% of the total population, and elderly age-group (65 years or older) account for 3.8%. The working age-group (15 to 64 years of age) accounts for about 59% of the population. Half (about 52%) of the population live in rural areas. The average annual income of a family is about US$ 3,023 (2006). There are 1,771 hospitals in Philippines. Of these hospitals, 40% are public hospitals and 60% are private hospitals. The overall bed capacity of the hospitals are 92,070 beds. 52% of the beds belong to public hospitals. There are average of 2 Barangay
Volume 22 No. 1 January-June 2009 0857-376X
Category: Original Articles
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