PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) -- The Department of Health (DOH) provided additional daily honoraria to barangay health workers to help strengthen case surveillance of malaria in the province of Palawan.
Oscar Macam, Jr., DOH CHD Vector Borne Disease Program Manager, said during the Kapihan sa PIA at SM City Puerto Princesa that the department provided an additional P200 to daily honoraria for the initial 95 barangay health workers. Its central office is committed to increasing the fund allocation for honoraria and the number of recipients in Palawan.
“Ang sinasabi ng provincial coordinators natin ay kaya hindi makapag-concentrate ang ating health workers sa malaria dahil napakababa ng honorarium na nari-receive nila. Nag-augment kami para makatulong sa health workers,” he said.
The focus of the department on case surveillance is aligned with the guidance of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) to help eradicate malaria cases.
The country should have no active cases for five years before it can be declared malaria-free by 2030, as per WHO guidelines, Macam said. Palawan is the only province in the country with malaria active cases reaching 1,000 to date.
Local health worker shows samples of rapid test kits used for malaria case surveillance. Photo by Rachel Ganancial
The health workers who have received the increase in honoraria are those conducting rapid diagnostic testing, particularly within indigenous communities. Around 99 percent of cases recorded by DOH are among indigenous peoples in Palawan.
The department is working on balancing the fund allocation with case surveillance and spraying, as the latter is highly requested in Palawan, Macam added.
“Ang principle dito, kapag wala ng parasites sa mga katutubo, kahit kagatin araw-araw ang mga katutubo natin ng Anopheles flavirostris, primary vector natin ay wala na mangyayaring transmission,” he said.
As inspired by the success of Cambodia in reducing cases from 5,000 to 500, DOH will also provide prophylaxis to selected areas that have high cases.
“Kahit wala ng testing ay bibigyan na rin sila ng gamot, prophylaxis. Nakita kasi sa ibang bansa na napaka-epektibo nito, particularly sa Cambodia, na halos parehas ng sitwasyon ng Palawan,” he added.
Kapihan sa PIA is a program by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Mimaropa, streaming live on PIA Mimaropa and PIA Palawan's Facebook pages. (RG/PIA Mimaropa - Palawan)
