CEBU, Philippines - In its effort to bring health services to the grassroots level, the Department of Health started the other day its regional “Kalusugan Pangkalahatan” Roadshow in Tabogon town, northern part of Cebu.
The “DOH on Wheels” project kicked off in Central Visayas where maternal and child health, as well as infectious diseases, remains a challenge.
Local chief executives, led by host town mayor Zigfred Duterte, Bantayan Mayor Ian Escario, Asturias mayor Allan Adlawan, Borbon mayor Butch Sepulveda, San Remigio mayor Mariano Martinez, Catmon mayor Dan Jusay attended the dialogue inside the Tabogon Sports Complex.
Fourth district Representative Benhur Salimbangon also attended the event and like the mayors, expressed concern on certain health issues to the authorities of DOH and PhilHealth, led by DOH assistant secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial, DOH regional director Jaime Bernadas and Cebu provincial health office chief Cynthia Genosolango.
Bantayan Mayor Escario raised the concern of his town where sick patients could not be transported immediately to the mainland for further medical attention.
With this, he moved for improvements of the Bantayan District Hospital. Bernadas assured this will happen but no specific timeline was specified.
Also, under the universal health care program, Ubial revealed that they will be hiring 420 dentists will be hired nationwide.
Ubial said that this is still in line with the efforts to hire more doctors, nurses, and midwives to fill in the gap of the existing ratio of medical professionals to patients.
During the same event, Bernadas presented the 2013 scorecard of the region and Cebu LGUs as far as delivering basic health care services.
PHO chief Genosolango, likewise, presented the state of health care services in the province of Cebu.
She stressed that while the figures are “not very flattering,” a more positive result is expected in the coming years.
During the event, a signing of commitment was done among the local chief executives and health officials to ensure that by 2015, the Millennium Development Goal on maternal health, child health and prevention of infectious disease would be carried out. — (FREEMAN)