Promoting hygiene and bayanihan through PGH’s Bantay Barangayan

When the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) conceptualized the Bantay Barangayan sa Ward project, it envisioned a program that would promote hygiene and sanitation to become an intrinsic practice by watchers and patient caregivers at the government hospital.

Along with the support of Johnson & Johnson, the program that has long been in the pipeline finally saw fulfillment when its pilot phase was launched in April this year.

While the initial intention was simply to teach the watchers and caregivers proper sanitation and cleanliness, waste segregation, proper caring for their sick relatives, and to minimize wastage of hospital resources, little did the government hospital know that the concept would awaken the bayanihan spirit and foster cooperation and caring among the people as well.

According to Rita Tamse, deputy director for nursing services, a set of officers consisting of a "barangay captain" and four "barangay tanods" are chosen from among the watchers during weekly ward meetings.

These officers are then given individual functions focusing on the cleanliness of the ward, the comfort room and the ward surroundings.

They are also taught about waste segregation and water and energy conservation, which falls under the Iwas Waldas component of the project.

The officers also assist in the implementation of visiting hours and in teaching other watchers about the proper use of the ward facilities.

The initial phase of the project ran from April to June this year, and three areas – Ward 1 (female medicine), Ward 11 (pediatric), and Ward 14-B (Gynecology) – were chosen as pilot areas because of the large number of patients and watchers who stay, as well as the lingering nature of the illnesses.

"What we thought was just a simple objective to make the watchers cooperate in keeping the ward clean and teach them general concepts of sanitation and waste segregation has evolved into something that has brought out the leadership qualities of the barangay captains and the tanods. This became apparent when they successfully convinced other watchers, especially the new ones, about the need to keep the ward clean and in using electricity and water properly," Tamse said.

A key component of the project was the partnership with Johnson & Johnson, which donated educational and sanitation materials to the pilot areas for the nurses to instruct and implement basic hygiene practices to the watchers and patients.

"The Bantay Barangayan has been one of the most important tie-up programs between Johnson & Johnson and PGH, as we try to diminish deaths and sicknesses brought about by hospital-acquired infections, especially among infants, through the practice of basic hygiene. What is also noteworthy about the project is that it can be cascaded to the barangays as a preventive measure through the watchers who will share what they have learned through the project," said Johnson & Johnson senior professional marketing manager Allan Ancheta.

"Part of our credo in Johnson & Johnson is to be responsible to the communities where we work and live in, and to encourage civic improvements and better health for people. This credo has given us the impetus to initiate a lot of projects with health professionals so we can continue doing our share in making people’s lives better," Ancheta added.

According to Jennie Rosa Villavicencio, who was given the Ulirang Barangay Kapitan award in simple ceremonies at the PGH, the project not only improved her knowledge about cleanliness and sanitation, but taught her patience in dealing with difficult people and in learning how to communicate an idea well.

"I also realized how important it was to get along well with others because during the times when I had to leave my sick sister to look for donors, the others were willing to look after her. And this is because we have become friends through the project," she said.

"Discovering that the bayanihan spirit was still very much alive has been one of the gratifying and surprising rewards of the project because we often think that people are indifferent to the needs of others. But here we saw helpfulness and cooperation not only in watching the other patients but in helping each other solicit funds by telling others what the process is, which senator, congressman or institution should be approached, and who could help through referrals or donations. So the work of the nurses became easier because they could concentrate on taking care of the patients and helping them recover faster," Tamse said.

The success of the project has encouraged PGH to share the experience with other hospitals not only in Metro Manila but also in the provinces, such as a hospital in Iloilo which has shown interest in the concept.

"If it worked for us, it could work for them. For our part, we plan to expand the project to cover the whole PGH and not just the three pilot wards. And hopefully, we would still have Johnson & Johnson as our partner," Tamse said.