US, Phl launch 13 health projects

MANILA, Philippines - Thirteen projects that will help enhance the health of Filipino families under the US-Philippines bilateral health agreement were launched yesterday.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona and US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. launched the P7.96-billion projects to be implemented over a five-year period in 48 provinces nationwide.

Thomas said the projects, to be implemented by the US embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in cooperation with the Department of Health (DOH), “will support an integrated approach to health service delivery and greater partnership between the public and private sectors.”

“We are encouraged by the wide-ranging reforms undertaken by the Philippine government under President Aquino, and we hope our support will help push the already growing momentum for lasting change in the country, particularly with respect to health outcomes,” he said.

Ona said the projects are in line with the Philippine Development Plan and the DOH Universal Healthcare Strategy or Kalusugan Pangkalahatan.

“Our objective is to help attain health-related Millennium Development Goals through targeted interventions in areas where the poor are most concentrated and unmet needs are highest. We are pleased that USAID is our partner in this initiative,” Ona said.

The US government, through USAID, helps to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, unmet need for family planning, prevalence of tuberculosis and the spread of the AIDS virus in the country.

“We are proud of the strong partnership between the DOH and USAID, and look forward to continued collaboration over the coming years as we scale up quality service delivery to improve the health of Filipino families, particularly mothers and children,” said USAID-Philippines mission director Gloria Steele.