THE SEARCH for “heroes of health” who had made significant contributions to the wellbeing of their countrymen is on.
The Department of Health on Tuesday launched the first Bayani ng Kalusugan Award to honor and reward 20 individuals, organizations and institutions that positively impacted the health sector in the last five years.
Health Secretary Janette Garin said the award would bring to the fore the untold stories of public health heroes toiling quietly in far-flung places, as well as those who chose to remain in the country despite the lure of lucrative careers abroad.
On their own
“They could be municipal health officers with every opportunity to go abroad or to Metro Manila but who chose to serve their communities and take care of the people there despite the meager salary,” said Garin in a press conference.
“They could be barangay health workers or teachers or parents who go out of their way to conduct their own nutrition program,” she added.
She said doctors, midwives, medical technologists and other health professionals who had learned to improvise to serve the people despite inadequate facilities and medical equipment were also being sought for the award.
“We want to find these people. These are the stories we want to gather,” Garin said.
Nominated individuals must be Filipino citizens with experience in leading, managing or rendering service in the health sector at least one year prior to nomination. Nominees must not have been convicted of a crime.
Three years
Nominated organizations must have been in existence at least three years, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and recognized by a local government unit or the DOH. Political organizations, associations and unions are ineligible for the award, Garin said.
The nomination period is from Feb. 6 to April 15. Awards will be handed out on June 23 to coincide with the DOH anniversary. Individual awardees will receive a cash prize of P200,000 each, while organizations will get P400,000.
Nomination forms may be obtained from the DOH Bayani ng Kalusugan website or from DOH central and regional offices.