eEDPMS Training (Batch no. 7)

DUQUE ASSERTS COMPLIANCE TO MDRP

From: DOH Webpage

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III today served a Cease and Desist Order (CDO) to four drug stores found violating the government’s Maximum Drug Retail Price (MDRP) program. The said CDO prevents drug stores from selling and offering for sale identified drug product sold at a price higher than the imposed MDRP. Said drug stores were given 72 hours to show valid cause in writing and present evidence why no further administrative or legal action should be taken against them. These four drug stores are Stardust Drug and Medical Supplies Corporation, Cheer-Up Drug Store, Sunburst Drug Corporation all in Rizal Avenue in front of the Department of Health and the South Star Drug located in Matalino Street, Diliman, Quezon City. Duque also visited the Santo Tomas University Hospital Pharmacy and found them complying with the government program.

DOH DID ITS JOB IN MANILA BAY CLEANUP

From: DOH WebPage


The Department of Health (DOH) today belied allegations that the agency is not complying with the Supreme Court (SC) decision concerning the Manila Bay cleanup.

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said that on May 5 this year, the DOH reported to the Department of Environment & Natural Resources that it has issued a memorandum (dated February 2, 2009) to all directors of the DOH-Centers for Health Development nationwide regarding the requirement of the SC decision.

“I directed them to undertake necessary actions to ensure the strict compliance of all septic and sludge companies as require by the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines,” Duque said.

The health chief also said that a meeting with Sanitation Officers/Heads of all local government units (LGUs) and septic tank desludging operators in Metro Manila was conducted on March 31, 2009 to orient them on the DOH rules and regulations governing the collection, handling, transport, treatment, and disposal of domestic sludge and septage.

“During the meeting, we requested the LGUs present to monitor the operators to make sure that the instructions have been followed to the letter,” Duque stressed.

Duque said that under the SC decision, the DOH is directed to determine if all licensed septic tank and sludge companies have the proper facilities for the treatment and disposal of fecal sludge coming from septic tanks.

Duque also reported that septic tanks of Metro Manila residences are being cleaned by the Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (MWSI) and the Manila Water Company, Inc. (MWCI) on a regular basis with the collected sludge from the septic tanks treated and disposed in their treatment facilities.

“All regional health offices, in coordination with local government units, are monitoring private desludging operators and require them to secure the Environmental Sanitation Clearance from the DOH,” Duque assured.

The DOH urges the public to tap only legitimate septic tank desludging operators, such as MWSI and MWCI, to service their septic tanks.

"BHW- TUNAY NA BAYANI NG PAMILYANG PILIPINO"

From: DOH WebPage

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III is warmly welcomed by the Barangay Health Workers’ Federation of Oriental Mindoro during his arrival at the RGV Gymnasium for the celebration of their 17th year anniversary and 8th Provincial Convention. During his speech, Duque underscored the urgency of a law for the protection of BHWs and their much-deserved benefits as they play a major role in the delivery of health needs of the people. He also said that BHWs are the foundation of an effective health system in the country. (21 August 2009)

DOH GARNERS 78% SATISFACTION RATING FOR EFFECTIVE RESPONSE AGAINST INFLUENZA A (H1N1) – JUNE SWS SURVEY

From: DOH WebPage

Press Release/18 August 2009

The Department of Health (DOH) today conveyed its gratefulness to the public for the high marks it got in recent surveys regarding its efforts and capability in addressing the A (H1N1) threat and on its endeavor to raise public awareness on the novel virus.

The June 2009 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that 80% of the respondents believed that the DOH is very/somewhat ready to fight A (H1N1), 83% are aware of the health advisory, and 78% are satisfied with the current efforts of the DOH against the disease.

“This development is very encouraging because it affirms that actions should always be complemented with health promotion and information. There is always a hunger for information especially during disease outbreaks and we can only satisfy this hunger if we use the most powerful tool to deliver it: the media,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.

The health chief said that traditional and conventional means like lectures, symposia, and meetings work but if the aim is to reach a bigger audience, going for a larger (national) scale information drive thru mass media is the way to achieve it.

The survey further disclosed that among those who were aware of the DOH advisory, 50% said that it helped a lot in avoiding the virus.

The same SWS survey also said that as far as awareness is concerned: 86% of the respondents are worried that they or someone in their family would catch the novel virus, while 90% said they have knowledge about it. The survey also disclosed that respondents said that television (80%) is the main source of information about A (H1N1) in all areas and economic classes.

“Infomercials, in all forms, augment our health promotion efforts. We have print advertisements in leading newspapers, we have television commercials, and we have radio plugs that can reach the farthest areas.



We even partnered with Smart to use SMS text in disseminating vital information on A (H1N1). We really did not leave any stone unturned just to make the information get to the public and it is paying off because it raised their awareness and helped them fight off the disease,” Duque stressed.



In relation to the above issue, the said survey also said that the government’s efforts in protecting the public from outbreak of diseases got a +40 public satisfaction rating. Incidentally, the said rating was the highest among the 13 government-related issues studied in another SWS survey.

On the subject of cheaper medicines, the state agency was given by the respondents a +14 satisfaction rating in ensuring that medicines are affordable.

In general, the net satisfaction rating of the of the DOH rose from +58 in February 2009 to +65 this June 2009, like-wise with the satisfaction rating of Duque, which also rose from +23 in February to +31 this June.

Duque took the lead with his +31 net rating among the other Cabinet Members included in the survey. Following him are former NEDA Secretary Ralph Recto, DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus, DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral, and Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

BFAD POWER STRENGTHENED

From: DOH WebPage

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III (standing 6th from left), together with some lawmakers and other cabinet officials today witnessed the signing of the amendment to Republic Act No. 3720 by Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The bill, which was authored by Senator Pia Cayetano, aims to strengthen the functions/roles of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), now the Food and Drug Administration.

Some of the salient features of said bill were the establishment of modern and complete testing laboratory facilities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in order to assure the delivery of timely services at the shortest possible time anywhere in the country, empower the BFAD to seize and held in custody without hearing or court order health products found to be in violation of existing laws, and increase the penalty for both criminal sanctions and administrative penalties in order to deter commission of prohibited acts. (17 August 2009, Malacañang Palace)

THIS AUGUST, START TAKING CARE OF YOUR EYES – DOH

From: DOH WebPage



The Department of Health (DOH) today reminded the public to take care of their eyes as approximately 314 million people worldwide are estimated to live with low vision and blindness, according to the 2002 World Health Organization data.

“We have coordinated a nationwide eye screening and cataract surgery with selected government and private hospitals, so I urge the public to have their eyes checked up to prevent blindness later in life”, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

The global figure translates to 3.4 million Filipinos who are visually impaired, according to the 3rd National Blindness Survey done in 2002. Of these, 3.2 million have visual impairment in one or both eyes while 461,121 are blind in both eyes.

“According to the same survey, blindness was most common among the elderly and the poor who have no access to health facilities”, Duque said, adding that as one grows older, one gets more prone to have an error of refraction, or glaucoma, or cataract, or blindness due to diabetes, hypertension.

Based on the same survey, the top three causes of visual impairment are cataract, error of refraction, and glaucoma. Cataract is the number one cause of reversible blindness in the country, with prevalence highest among the poor and underserved. Errors of refraction can usually be corrected with eyeglasses.

Experts said that glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually lead to loss of vision, often without warning. This disease is hardly preventable when blindness has set in. What is important is early detection; however, this can only be done with high technology equipment. This makes the number of glaucoma cases under-estimated.

The reminder was made as part of the national observance of this month as Sight-Saving Month whose theme is, “Excellence and Equity in Eye Care: A Human Right”.

“Quality and affordable eye care must be made accessible to all Filipinos of all social strata. This is a basic right that should be accorded to everyone, without discrimination as to age, sex, gender, religion, race, or social standing”, declared Duque adding that the challenge now is how to bring affordable and excellent eye care to all areas of the country.

This year, the DOH and its partner agencies and organizations under the National Committee for Sight Preservation, aims to put up local Committees for Sight Preservation in the different regions and provinces of the country. Under their local chief executives (LCEs), these committees will coordinate the delivery of eye care services at the local level, such as eye screening and cataract surgery programs for the indigent constituents of the community.

A local Committee for Sight Preservation will be composed of ophthalmologists, optometrists, local health care personnel, representatives of civic organizations and non-government organizations, and volunteers from the community.

Duque also advocated to the non-government organizations to help the LCEs by providing human resources or logistics for cataract surgeries and providing eyeglasses. He also challenged the PhilHealth to look into providing coverage to specialists who work in hazardous or hard-to-reach areas.

“The end goal is that eye care services will be integrated in the local health services system”, Duque concluded.

DOH GETS SATISFACTION RATINGS FOR LOOKING AFTER THE PUBLIC’S HEALTH - SWS SURVEY

From: DOH WebPage

The Department of Health (DOH) today expressed its gratitude to the public for conveying their confidence in the government’s capability of looking after their health in the light of the most recent survey results that showed positive satisfaction> ratings.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) latest survey revealed that the government got a +40 satisfaction rating (the highest net rating among the 13 issues surveyed) on “the issue of protecting the public from the outbreak of diseases” and a +14 rating for “ensuring that medicines are available”.

“We are very happy that all our efforts did not go to waste. Our government, under the leadership of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and its health workers are selflessly and relentlessly working to give the public better health services and we are very thankful to the public for appreciating all these endeavors,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.

The health chief said that during the height of the A (H1N1) outbreak earlier this year and even with the year-round continuous threat of dengue, health workers have never tired of serving the public and have always had their best interest in mind.

“The battle against A (H1N1) is not easy. I am not saying that the fight has already been won and that we have squashed the novel virus. But due to the diligent work of our people at DOH and our front liners in the field and in the hospitals, we were able to stall the increase in the number of cases and treat those afflicted accordingly,” Duque explained.

Duque said that to maximize the impact of the agency’s information drive against this disease, the DOH did not just rely on traditional means such as lectures and other community-organized meetings but also tried using mass media as a channel to expand its reach.

“We have infomercials to augment our health promotion efforts. We have print advertisements in leading newspapers, we have television commercials, and we have radio plugs that can reach the farthest areas. We even partnered with Smart to use SMS text in disseminating vital information on A (H1N1). We really did not leave any stone unturned just to make the information get to the public and it is paying off because it raised their awareness,” Duque stressed.

The health chief said that the 4-S Kontra Dengue campaign launched in 2006 had been given the same media treatments and made the public more aware of its prevention and control.

“The government’s efforts in ensuring medicines are affordable to the public is not an easy feat also. The fight for cheaper medicines was a long and tedious battle with the multinationals for years and now that a law has finally been signed to make the costs of essential medicines half by 50%, its time for the public to reap,” Duque said.
Duque said that as the head of the DOH he has an accountability of informing the public about these developments.

“We need to make the most out of our resources and have to resort to all information channels that will best deliver it: the media. It’s a very good tool and is cost-effective if we compare it to the expenses that may possibly incur when thousands of the public get sick,” Duque said.

BREASTFEED EVEN DURING EMERGENCIES, DOH SAYS ON WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK

From: DOH WebPage

Press Release/4 August 2009

The Department of Health (DOH) today said that it is pursuing aggressively its campaign for breastfeeding in the light of the 2008 National Demographic & Health Survey (NDHS) results revealing that only 50% of mothers exclusively breastfed for a period of two months or less.

The announcement was made as part of the worldwide observance of World Breastfeeding Week which is held every first week of August.

The latest NDHS survey result is below the 53% recorded in 2003. The same study shows that only 34% of infants below 6 months of age are being exclusively breastfed. The study also estimates that the under-five mortality rate is 34 deaths per 1,000 live births.

As part of its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, the DOH has adapted the Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding which include actions on how to encourage breastfeeding among infants and children especially during emergencies and in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

Since the country is disaster-prone, many natural and man-made disasters inflict damage to lives and property. In these situations, infants and children are the most vulnerable to disease, malnutrition and death. Safe corners in evacuation centers must be provided with available breastfeeding counselor or mother-to-mother support.

Breastfeeding, then, becomes a life-saving intervention providing the greatest protection for infants who are most vulnerable to disease and death in emergency situations. Because of the limited access to clean drinking water, fuel and utensils (necessities in bottle-feeding), infants and children are at risk for diarrhea. Diarrhea is the tenth leading cause of deaths among infants, according to the 2009 DOH statistics.

This year’s World Breastfeeding Week is an international event held to draw attention to the vital role that breastfeeding plays, especially during emergencies. This year’s theme is, “Breastfeeding --- A Vital Emergency Response. Are You Ready?”. Locally, the theme is “Gatas Ng Ina, Laging Handa Lalo Na Sa Oras Ng Pangangailangan”.