Sarangani barangay captains to champion health services

By BEVERLY C. PAOYON

 

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (January 14, 2012) – Sarangani’s 140 barangay captains would implement their respective action plan for health, crafted during the two-day provincial health summit held here recently, within a six-month period.

 

The summit advocated barangay captains to be the champion in health services in their own barangays.

 

Governor Migs Dominguez told summit participants: “Aminin natin na ang health, ang kalusugan ay responsibilidad pala nating lahat.”

 

“Dili ra diay responsibilidad sa doctor, health workers, mayor o sa municipal health officer. Dili diay na solo. So ibig sabihin, tayo palang lahat ang may responsibilidad sa pagpapalaki ng bawat bata in a very healthy way. So, it takes a village to raise a healthy child,” the governor said.

 

Health summit participants were municipal mayors, barangay chairs and their councilors, planning and health officers, and local health workers.

 

The action plans sought to align with the national benchmark specifically complying with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and universal health care.

 

Purposely for MDG 4 (reduction of child mortality), provincial health officer Antonio Yasana said that it will be “mostly likely achieved by the Philippines if the current trend of decreasing infant mortality rates and child mortality rates proceeds as is.”

 

However, he also pointed out that MDG 5 (improvement of maternal care) “will likely not be achieved unless radical reforms are made at the barangay level to ensure all mothers have access to pre-natal care, safe births, emergency obstetric care, post-natal care and family planning services.”

 

In Sarangani, maternal mortality rate has decreased from 2.18% in 2011 to 1.12% in 2012 from every 1,000 livebirths.

 

Meanwhile, infant mortality rate also reduced from 5% in 2011 to 2.56% in 2012.

 

Under-five mortality recorded 75 deaths in 2011 and only 48 in 2012.

 

The summit was held to address these concerns as Yasana told barangay captains to be “on top of the situation in the barangay. That’s the only way for you to be able to address health problems, concerns, issues” in their barangay.

 

As the Aquino Health Agenda on the universal health care which targets all Filipinos to be enrolled in Philhealth, Sarangani also takes the challenge “to make all the municipal level hospitals Philhealth-accredited.”

 

Yasana added “all barangay health stations must have a seal of excellence from the Department of Health” as well. For more news and updates, please visit the <a href= http://www.sarangani.gov.ph/ > Province of Sarangani </a> (Beverly C. Paoyon/ SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)