MANILA, (PIA) — The Department of Health – Metro Manila Center for Health Development (DOH-MMCHD) is focusing its efforts on two key priorities: universal health care and an eight-point set of priority programs.
In a recent “Kapihan Sa Bagong Pilipinas” media forum, Regional Director Dr. Rio Magpantay outlined the objectives of these initiatives.
“The goal is to ensure that all Filipinos, regardless of their status in life, can truly feel the meaning of health,” Magpantay said.
The eight-point priority programs were developed based on an analysis of the needs felt by lower-income citizens, he added.
Dr. Jose Mari C. Castro, Head of the Field Operations Cluster at MMCHD, provided details on the universal health care component. This includes establishing “integrated sites” and improving “local health systems maturity levels” to ensure communities are ready to provide effective and comprehensive health services.
Key elements include:
- Ensuring healthy living, schooling and work environments
- Providing every family with a primary care provider team
- Making health spending more predictable, though not necessarily free for all services
- Organizing care through integrated networks of service providers
Dr. Castro noted that seven local areas in Metro Manila have already achieved high levels of health system maturity, led by Marikina, Valenzuela, Parañaque, Taguig, San Juan, Mandaluyong and Pasig.
“We want to provide quality health services, wherever you are in the Philippines – whether in a barangay, community or city,” he said.
“Poor, rich, big, small, female, child or elderly – uniform public health services will be available,” he added.
Shaymae Pearl Ufano of the Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Cluster, meanwhile, outlined the 8-Point Priority Programs:
- Immunization, aiming for 95 percent fully immunized coverage among 0-12-month-olds
- Nutrition, targeting a reduction in teenage stunting
- Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
- Maternal health
- Tuberculosis and HIV programs
- Road safety initiatives
- Non-communicable disease prevention
- Cancer screening
“These priorities form the basic foundation that every Filipino needs for a healthy community that values the essence of life,” Ufano concluded.
The weekly Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas is a nationwide, simultaneous weekly forum organized by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and implemented by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA). The program is aired on all multi-media platforms of PIA. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
