Loren’s Good News! – Primary Health Care Training For Barangay Health Workers, Universal Healthcare Coverage in 2011

PRIMARY HEALTH CARE TRAINING FOR BARANGAY HEALTH WORKERS WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE “MANDATORY UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE COVERAGE ACT OF 2010” FOR THE FIVE MILLION MOST INDIGENT FAMILIES WILL BE PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED IN 2011, SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA SAID.
“It was with the intention to give more in health benefits especially to those who have less that I have pushed for these bills and I laud the receptiveness of the Department of Health. ”
Legarda emphasized the importance of educating our barangay health workers in primary health care because they are the first to respond to requests for treatment especially in far flung areas where doctors and nurses are several kilometers away.
“Primary health care training for our barangay health workers is very timely especially with persistent cases of dengue, tuberculosis and common illnesses such as hypertension and diarrhea.
“The nation’s health care delivery system is dependent on the competence of our barangay health workers. These trainings will update the skills of our barangay health workers on how to save lives.”
“The proposed Universal Healthcare Coverage Act of 2010 will assure especially the marginalized sector of society the availability of basic health care services with the help of local government units.”
The beneficiaries include:

1. Individuals/families classified as targeted poor based on the poverty incidence by the National Statistics and Coordination Board (NSCB);
2. Individuals/families belonging to the lowest income segment of the informal sector;
3. Barangay officials and barangay volunteers including, but not limited to, barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, barangay social workers, and barangay tanods;
4. Children who may not possibly be declared as legal dependents, such as poor children under 6 years old, abandoned children, and orphans below 21 years of age;
5. Poor members of senior citizens associations who are not eligible under the Lifetime Membership Program of the National Health Insurance Program; and
6. Other members of the low-income group of the population as may be determined by the DSWD in coordination with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
“Health care for the citizenry has been poked and prodded for years. It is time for diagnosis and treatment, ” Legarda concluded.