By JOY R. SEVILLA
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (August 31, 2013) – The Provincial Government of Sarangani convened its partners Friday (August 30) to identify issues and concerns to address the TB (tuberculosis) problem through the Sarangani TB Forum held at the Family Country Hotel and Convention Center.
The forum, spearheaded by the Provincial Health Office (PHO), is the culmination activity of the Lung Month celebration this August. It was participated in by representatives from Department of Interior and Local Government-Sarangani, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education, Provincial Jail, Municipal TB Core Team, Barangay Health Workers presidents of each municipality, TB in the Workplace representatives, Sangguniang Bayan Committee on Health chairs, and Association of Barangay Captain presidents.
Dr. Butch Dulduco, DOH XII representative, said that DOH, together with its partners including Sarangani local government, is “always exerting too much effort in eradicating TB disease.”
“TB is not only deadly, but it is transmissible. But the good thing is, even it is deadly, it is also curable,” he said. The doctor added that the government in national and local levels should work hard together by initiating advocacies.
Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon’s administration, on the other hand, focuses on the Sulong Sarangani campaign with health as one of its pillars. Through Sulong Sarangani particularly its health programs, the governor envisions an overall health system where every Sarangan can access quality health programs and services.
Nonelyn Bascuña, provincial National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) nurse coordinator, on the other hand, said that the provincial government of Sarangani, through the PHO, is making ways in order to disseminate proper information about TB.
“This year’s theme is, “Tuldukan ang TB, Ikalat ang impormasyon, hindi ang diskriminasyon,” she said as she gave an input on TB disease. “Hindi dapat kinakatakunan o dini-discriminate ang taong may TB,” she added.
Bascuña said Sarangani Province has a TB detection rate of 37% from January to June this year. Its detection rate for the whole year of 2012 was placed at 81%.
“Hindi pa tapos ang taon kaya tataas pa ang detection rate natin, kaya ang challenge natin ay dapat ma-monitor natin kung ang budget natin for TB programs ay nagamit ba,” she said.
It was learned that all the seven municipalities of the province have TB Multistakeholders Committee. However, only 72 out of the 140 barangays have barangay resolution supporting TB Control with specific budget.
Meanwhile, DOH and its partners are implementing strategies to fight TB disease.
Among of these strategies include the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course Chemotherapy (DOTS) or the Tutok-Gamutan; the Libreng Gamutan (for 6 months); and the profiling of the community health team where health personnel are assigned/tasked to search for possible TB patients. For more news and updates, please visit the <a href= http://www.sarangani.gov.ph/ > Province of Sarangani </a> (Joy Sevilla/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
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