By COCOY SEXCION
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (July 27, 2011) - In a bid to improve and expand its health services, the Provincial Government of Sarangani called all municipal mayors and municipal health and planning officers to a workshop Wednesday (July 27) to set health as priority in delivery of basic services.
The provincial health office, in partnership with Department of Health and the United States Agency for International Development, organized the 1st Provincial Health Summit at Sarangani Highlands Resort.
The two-day workshop was also participated in by provincial officials and non-government organization (NGO) partners.
Day-one sessions focused on the creation of vision on health and identifying the hindrances and the challenges in the realization of the vision. Second day sessions are action planning and the consolidation of commitments among participants.
In his opening statement, Governor Migs Dominguez told participants about how municipalities should set bigger counterpart funds for health next year up to 2013.
“It was agreed with the Honorable Congressman Manny Pacquiao that his PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) will be counterparted just like in KALAHI. 70 percent, 20 percent from the province and 10 percent from the municipality,” he said.
“And the guidelines of this will really be based on the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) and I think after this session, you will realize among yourselves that the projects that need to be funded may actually be in health care,” the governor said.
“If you think health is expensive, what more of a child that has been left behind. And as I always tell you, as long as a single child is left behind, we should not all stop in looking for solutions,” Dominguez concluded.
Session topics and their speakers were: Universal health care towards attainment of Millennium Development Goals by Dr. Abdullah Dumama, regional health director; Updates on MNCHN by Prof. Alejandro Nerrin, chief of party of HealthGov USAID; Sustainable mechanisms in TB Prevention and Control Program by Dr. Dolores Castillo, chief of party of TBLINC USAID;
Best practices in achieving Millennium Development Goals for health through municipal government initiatives by Dr. Junie Basmillo, Maitum health officer on the operationalization of a birthing home facility; Dr. Rafaida Hernandez, Malungon health officer on mobilizing communities through Lingap sa Barangay;
Getting commitments to move forward by Congressman Manny Pacquiao, Governor Dominguez, Vice Governor Steve Solon, Mayor Reynaldo Constantino for the league of municipalities, Dr. Vivien Yap for the league of vice mayors, Dr. Tranquilino Ruiz of Glan Sangguniang Bayan, George Perrett for the Association of Barangay Captains and representative from NGO partners like RD Foundation and Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
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