Weak health systems, poor health-seeking behavior,
absence of adequate road infrastructure, and lack of transportation facilities
prevent Filipinos living in rural communities from accessing quality healthcare
services, according to eight municipality mayors from geographically isolated
and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).
In a colloquium hosted by the Zuellig Family
Foundation (ZFF) titled "Bridging Social and Health Inequities: The GIDA
Experience," the mayors who also stand as their respective municipality's
health leaders shared health challenges experienced by GIDA residents, as well
as the reforms implemented to address those health gaps with the help of their
local communities and ZFF.
Mandaon (Masbate), Del Carmen (Surigao del Norte),
Hinatuan (Surigao del Sur), Tinambac (Camarines Sur), Cataingan (Masbate),
Magsaysay (Palawan), Matuguinao (Samar), and San Fernando (Camarines Sur) are
among the partner municipalities of ZFF in its "Community Health
Partnership Program" (CHPP) -- a model of health intervention involving
health leadership and governance training activities.
In a bid to promote sustainable and accessible
healthcare system in the Philippines, especially in rural areas, ZFF
established the two-year program focusing on technical skills to improve
service delivery, access to medicines, information systems and health
financing.
"While we recognize that the road to achieving
better health outcomes in remote areas is difficult, we also know that health
reforms must start now. ZFF, in partnership with mayors of GIDA, are taking up
this challenge so that the poor can enjoy quality healthcare services, and no
woman or infant dies because of childbirth complications," said Ernesto
Garilao, Zuellig Family Foundation President.
GIDA municipalities, or those with marginalized
population physically and socio-economically separated from the mainstream
society, suffer from high maternal mortality rate -- often higher than the
latest national average of 221 deaths per 100,000 births, as reported in 2012 by
the Department of Health (DOH). This is a far cry from the country's Millennium
Development Goals (MDG) of 54 by 2016.
Mayor of partner GIDA municipalities pointed to low
facility-based deliveries (FBD) and low skilled birth attendants (SBA) as among
the causes of high maternal deaths. In addition, they cited malnutrition and
poor sanitation as alarming health problems in their areas.
With the help of ZFF, the mayors reported that a
number of health reforms has been implemented, including the establishment of
more birthing units and health centers to provide access to more residents in
their areas, as well as the purchase of
an ambulance in order to reach even the farthest barangays.
Beyond the financial aid, the mayors highlighted
CHPP's biggest achievement: educating and empowering them as health leaders, as
well as other community leaders and local health officials to develop health
reforms for those they serve.
“I learned about co-ownership during the training,” Mayor
Alfredo Coro II of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte, said. “That presented to me a
realization that the dynamic health system is not a linear process, but should
instead be treated with a set of realistic targets of governance that can be
performed even at the smallest unit of the municipality to really achieve the
health indicators.”
Del Carmen's programs included awarding the "Seal
of Health Governance," to encourage barangays in meeting specific health requirements,
which have the equivalent “seal” of bronze, silver, and gold as well as financial
grant. This program, as well as other barangay health system reforms, resulted
to better health outcomes: from 76 percent of both SBA and FBD in 2011, the
municipality now stands at 95 percent and 94 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ruel Velarde of Tinambac, Camarines
Sur cited the need for willingness from the community in overcoming health
challenges. “Community development is a shared responsibility among political
leaders, health advocates and constituents. It is about reaching out to each
other, building strength, and supporting people to reach their goals," he
said.
To address the poor health-seeking behavior of
parents, the mayor sought the help of local parish priests in conducting
seminars on responsible parenthood and family planning -- a partnership that is
the first of its kind in Camarines Sur. Participants included pregnant mothers,
newly engaged couples, parents, barangay officials, health workers, LGU
employees, and police personnel. As of this year, there has been no maternal
death in the municipality.
Recognizing the limited resources and capacity of
the municipality to address all health issues, Mayor Melissa Dela Cruz of
Matuguinao,Western Samar forged partnerships with external stakeholders to
help establish their health care system.
With ZFF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,
they launched the Health Education Advocacy Program (HEAR) wherein health
education sessions are regularly aired through the AFP’s community radio
station. Other partnerships were also sought for the completion of the
Gandara-Matuguinao Road and the installment of
“Wireless Access for Health” to enable midwives to electronically record and
manage data. Results of these initiatives have been positive -- zero maternal
deaths so far in 2014 and marked improvement in skilled birth attendants and
facility based deliveries.
In sharing these and other health reforms during the
colloquium, ZFF hopes that the government, non-government organizations and the
academe will be able to identify replicable strategies to help achieve the
country's MDG health targets. "We also hope other private institutions
support in strengthening health reforms at the barangay level and in
capacitating communities to manage self-sufficient systems to achieve better
health outcomes," Garilao said.
DOH Secretary Enrique Ona was present during the
colloquium, as well as representatives from the World Health Organization,
Philhealth, DOH Regional Directors, the academe, the multilateral agencies —
UNFPA, UNICEF, MSD — and NGOs — Ayala Foundation, Jollibee Foundation, Andres
Soriano Foundation, and CARD-MRI. ###
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