This study provides a systematic review and summary of the extant knowledge on the
impacts of decentralization on health in the Philippines. Despite the country's twenty-five
years of experience in decentralization, little is known about the topic. Overall, our survey
shows that the existing scholarship on the impact of decentralization on health in the
country is characteristically thin and with varying degree of methodological rigor. The
limited available evidences point to some indication of positive impacts of decentralization
on increasing government health expenditures and on improving health outcomes.
