DOH, USAID five-year partnership, “a job well done!”

by Janine Oro

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona lauded the partnering efforts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as their five-year Health Promotion and Communication Project (HealthPro) culminated last September 7. “The culmination of the event served as a celebration for the five fruitful years the agency was able to achieve through the assistance of USAID ... and it was a job well done,” Ona said in his keynote speech.

HealthPro’s national closeout event, with the theme “Making Communication Work,” held in Makati, recognized USAID’s successful movement in educating the people regarding proper health practices through effective communication.

The said project was in line with the Kalusugan Pangkalahatan or Universal Health Care program that was one of the goals of the Aquino administration. “The program seeks to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care for our people, again, particularly, the poorest segment of our population,” said Ona.

The partnership with the US-based assisting agency was formed as part of the continuous progress of the attainment of one of the Millennium Development Goals particularly- providing access to universal health care in the country.

Secretary Ona stressed that Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) served a crucial part in pushing strong health promotion and communication interventions, thus obtaining the support of both public and private sectors.

USAID’s HealthPro adapted BCC as an approach by making use of communication, particularly through interpersonal communication and proper counselling, which could bring social change, therefore transforming one’s behaviour and social norms. The said method also proved to be effective in community mobilization, providing health education and outreach programs.

In a span of five years, 30 local government units, 11 Centers for Health Development, 19 local replicating agencies and 405 community-based organizations around the country benefited from the project.

In addition, around 4,900 health service providers and population officers were trained to add over 35,000 barangay health workers that were given orientation about interpersonal counselling and communication.

The health agency is certain that the program will succeed as President Aquino’s move of increasing the department’s budget allocation from P 30.4 billion in 2010 to P44.1 billion in 2012 and the proposed P 54.6 billion in 2013 attested his commitment in providing improved and efficient access to health care for every Filipino.

Ona also appealed for the immediate passage of the pending ‘Sin Tax Bill’, as the President assured that almost 85% of the generated amount from the sin tax will be used to fund Universal Health Care.

sources: Department of Health. (2012, September 7). Press Releases. Retrieved September 11, 2012, from www.doh.gov.ph.: http://www.doh.gov.ph/content/keynote-speech-secretary-enrique-t-ona-usaid-philippines-%E2%80%93-healthpro%E2%80%99s-national-close-out