SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) – The Department of Health – Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 1 on Tuesday, Dec. 5, received a mobile chest radiography van worth P8 million from the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP).
The x-ray van is expected to boost the Ilocos Region’s capability to detect tuberculosis (TB) cases and limit its spread.
The PBSP says that the mobile chest radiography van is designed to be able to reach geographically-isolated and displaced areas, which is appropriate for Region 01 with its many hard-to-reach areas.
Tuberculosis remains a major health problem in high TB burden countries such as the Philippines and tracking cases is imperative to stop the disease from infecting more people.
The DOH has reported a decrease in the number of positive TB cases in the country in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as quarantine restrictions during the period led to less testing for TB.
The project was undertaken under PBSP’s Advancing Client-centered Care and Expanding Sustainable Services for TB (ACCESS TB) project, which is augmented by its receipt of funding to fight TB, malaria, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
The PBSP is the largest business-led non-government organization (NGO) in the country and works to promote social endeavors centering on poverty reduction, sustainable development, and corporate citizenship.
For 2022, there were 17,349 TB cases recorded throughout the Ilocos Region while from January 1 to December 4, 2023, the figure increased to 18,512 cases.
The DOH’s overarching goal of a TB-free Philippines is contingent upon activities meant to find and treat cases so its spread can be limited.
In a message, DOH-CHD 1 Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco said that the participation of both public and private stakeholders is imperative in order to arrest the further spread of TB and help people suffering from it.
“Multi-sectoral collaboration, improved uptake of innovative solutions, increased funding, strong political will, and public participation – the assembly of these strategies… is required to increase the likelihood of us winning the war against TB,” Sydiongco said. (JCR/MJTAB/CCMT, PIA La Union)
