From: DOH WebPagePress 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.
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