Stakeholders lead fight against TB

By JOY R. SEVILLA

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (June 21, 2014) – The Sarangani Provincial Governor’s Office has released Executive Order (EO) 27 Series of 2014, an order reconstituting the Provincial TB (Tuberculosis) Program Board in the province in support to the National TB Program (NTP).

During the Provincial Multi-Sectoral Alliance (PMSA) and Sarangani Aksyon Na (SarangAN) Laban sa TB Strategic Planning Workshop held recently at Greenleaf Hotel in General Santos, personnel from different government agencies, civil society groups and the private sector supported the Executive Order by taking a pledge of commitment as members of the re-organized Provincial TB Program Board.

The board is chaired by Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon.

Solon said the cooperation of everyone is needed to eradicate TB in the province, saying that it is not only the task of the health office alone, but the engagement of everyone to attain the goal of a TB-free community.

Based on the record of the Provincial Health Office, Sarangani has a Case Detection Rate (CDR) of 59 percent and a Cure Rate (CR) of 70 percent for TB in 2013. This rate is low for the 85 percent and 90 percent target set by the regional health office for CDR and CR, respectively.

Dr. Arvin Alejandro, provincial health officer, said this only manifests that the patient tracking in the province is very poor at the barangay level.

“Dapat maging masipag tayo, lalo na yung nasa barangay level na maghanap ng symptomatic patients. Hindi lang dapat masipag maghanap ng pasyente, pero dapat masipag ding mag-alaga ng pasyente para tumaas ang CDR at CR natin,” he said.

Governor Solon, on the other hand, said TB program is nothing new. It really needs to be pushed harder especially in the barangay level.

“We need to capacitate the people in the barangay to monitor not only TB but other diseases also. Whatever info we need to drive, the health workers in the barangay are the key in order for our info campaign to work,” said Solon.

To encourage the barangay health workers (BHWs) in the province, Solon said a P6-million budget was already approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for the additional honorarium of 1,000 BHWs in the province.

Each BHW will have an additional P500 honorarium starting July 1.

It was learned that BHWs receive a very minimal honorarium. In Barangay Bales in Maasim for example, a hired BHW receives P150 per month.

“BHWs are in fact volunteers to work in the community. The honorarium they get is intended for their fare. Hindi rin madali yung ginagawa nila, monitoring 20 households in the barangay per health worker kaya saludo tayo sa kanila,” Solon said.

Meanwhile, a resolution endorsing the Infomercial of Congressman Manny Pacquiao as an advocacy and communication tool to mobilize stakeholders’ support for TB control in the province of Sarangani was also launched during the activity.

The 32-second infomercial is a call for the government, both in the provincial and municipal levels, to fight TB.

The resolution was sponsored by Board Member Elmer de Peralta, chairman of the committee on health, and co-sponsored by Board Member Cornelio Martinez, Jr.

“TB remains to be the global health problem. It kills around 75 Filipinos every day and about 60 percent of TB deaths occur among the productive age group of 15 to 64 years old,” de Peralta said as he read the resolution.

He added that the TB Infomercial of Congressman Pacquiao will possibly be used not only by the municipalities in Sarangani but also by other provinces in the next coming days. (Joy R. Sevilla/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)