The Department of Health (DOH) has given out awards to local government units (LGUs) that provided the “best healthcare practices” for their constituents.
The citations, dubbed Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Healthy Communities, aim to promote sustain able and effective healthcare practices in the country.
The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV), and the Livable Cities Challenge lauded the DOH for launching the program attuned to the DOH’s Health Promotion Strategy Framework.
PHAP executive director Teodoro Padilla urged the country’s next leaders to sustain investments in health to contribute to the aspiration of leaving no one behind when it comes to quality healthcare.
“We believe that giving due recognition to our local governments will not only accord them the accolade they deserve but also send a strong message that health should be prioritized as threats are not yet over,” Padilla said.
He said investing in health yields better outcomes that benefit individual health, the environment, and the economy.
DOH Health Promotions Bureau Director Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho noted that almost 80 percent of health outcomes are due to socio-economic, environmental, and behavioral factors.
She said the goal under the Universal Health Care Act is to support and redesign the Filipinos’ lifestyles to be more health-conscious.
PFV executive director Dr. Lulu Bravo cited the need to scale up the country’s primary healthcare system and move toward promotive and preventive health in communities.
Baguio City was awarded for its mental health program and their COVID-19 prevention and response.
Borbon, Cebu was commended for its Borbon Mental Health Warriors, Healthy Nanay and Bulilit, and Borbon Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Health Emergency Services programs.
Tacloban, Leyte’s Immunization program and Substance Abuse program “New Beginnings” was also recognized, along with Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay’s Age-appropriate Immunization program.
PMA president Dr. Benito Atienza said health services must be brought to the communities.
He said promoting these advocacies in the communities would encourage the people to take charge of their health and make informed beneficial decisions.
Liveable Cities Challenge chair Guillermo Luz said health in the cities must be given attention if the country seeks to achieve sustained economic growth and innovation.
“Today’s cities face several challenges such as those relating to environmental health, disaster prevention, mental health and lack of physical mobility among others. For these reasons, we need to plan for them better through partnerships as part of the whole-of-society approach,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ho said they are very proud of the LGUs that have spearheaded their own efforts to address health priority needs of their respective communities.
“We hope that, in collaboration with the private sector, we are able to continue these initiatives towards UHC and our upcoming catch-up immunization program for other vaccine-preventable diseases,” she said.