DOH to provide medicines, aid for typhoon victims in Maguindanao
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said that it would provide medicines and other commodities in Maguindanao to aid and implement primary health care for typhoon victims and address the rising number of health problems.
Assistance was provided after DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire met with Maguindanao’s provincial and municipal government heads to discuss the province’s alarming increase in cases of food and water-borne illnesses.
In the meeting, Maguindanao Governor Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu presented existing local efforts in advancing primary care among their residents, while Vergeire vowed to “provide medicines and other commodities to aid typhoon relief and service provision efforts, as well as technical assistance for various Universal Health Care (UHC) initiatives, such as the creation of health care provider networks for the province.”
“Alam natin na 80 percent ng mga sanhi ng sakit ay hindi nakadepende sa kalidad ng serbisyong pangkalusugan, kundi nakadepende sa kapaligiran ng bawat isa sa atin,” said Vergeire.
(We know that 80 percent of the causes of disease do not depend on the quality of health services, but rather on the environment of each of us.)
“Kaya sa pamamagitan ng primary care na naka-focus sa health promotion, ating tinutugunan ang mga environmental factors na ito – o kung tawagin natin ay social determinants of health – upang masiguro na ang ating mga mamamayan ay magkakaroon ng maayos na health outcomes,” she added.
(So, through primary care focused on health promotion, we shall address these environmental factors – or social determinants of health – to ensure that our citizens will have good health outcomes.)
According to Vergeire, the DOH has already activated the Inter-Agency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH) to address the rising cases of diseases currently seen throughout the country, including FWBD cases in Maguindanao.
IACEH member agencies, during the meeting, then pledged their commitment to addressing the challenges leading to various health problems.
“These diseases highlight the importance of addressing the social determinants of health through a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach. However, the DOH can not do this alone. We need to consolidate the efforts of other national government agencies, development partners, and the private sector to develop effective and sustainable strategies to prevent these kinds of outbreaks,” said Vergeire.
“All of these diseases are preventable, kaya dapat hindi na natin hinihintay na magkaroon ng outbreak bago tayo umaksyon. Kailangan nating paigtingin ang ating mga preventive measures at tugunan ang mga isyu pagdating sa social determinants of health, tulad ng safe water and sanitation access, upang maprotektahan ang ating mga kababayan,” she added.
(These diseases are preventable, so we should no longer wait for an outbreak to occur before we take action. Instead, we need to intensify our preventive measures and address issues related to social determinants of health, such as safe water and sanitation access, to protect our citizens.)
RELATED STORIES:
