The Department of Health commenced its wellness program for healthcare regions, aiming to promote the well-being of medical frontliners across the country.
The health department welcomed 7,200 healthcare workers into ‘The Wellness Movement’ during its program launch at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine.
“Drawing on practical applications of scientific behavior change approaches, this program supports doctors, nurses, and allied health staff in adopting effective wellness behaviors to bolster their well-being over the long term, aligning with the Department’s 8-point action agenda,” The DOH wrote in a statement.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa recalled the progression of the program which was piloted in five hospitals in 2020, before expanding to 21 more in 2021, and eventually reaching 28 additional hospitals in the previous year.
“The Wellness Movement fits right into two points of the 8-point action agenda of the Department and aligns seamlessly with our endeavor to provide a humanistic approach in the work that we do – Welfare and rights of healthcare workers and their comfort of mind and feelings),” Secretary Herbosa said in English and Filipino.
Meanwhile, the DOH has also kicked off with a tobacco cessation contest “Stop and Gain” in partnership with the lung center of the Philippines.
“We encourage the public and private health advocates and health champions to strictly enforce the provisions of the Vape Law, and implement our smoke-free and vape-free playbooks, such that we are enabled to live in a healthier and fresher environment,” Sec. Herbosa expressed.
The contest aims to encourage smokers to quit while celebrating a healthier life and is open exclusively to smokers and vapers who have quit since July 1, 2022, or in the last six months.
