What are the health programs in the Barangay?
Barangay Health Workers are frontline workers who play a vital role in every barangay. They are in charge of providing basic health education and selected basic health care. services such as first aid, maternal and child health supervision, family planning and nutrition.
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The Barangay Health Leadership and Management Program is part of the City Leadership and Governance Program awarded to the City Government of Batangas in July 2014 under USAID’s Cities Development Initiative.
The program was facilitated by the Department of Health, the Zuellig Foundation and the Development Academy of the Philippines. The City Health Office decided to organize this workshop among the 105 barangays, especially for the barangay chairman and the Kagawad, Health Committee. The LGU conducted 6 batches of workshops last August-September 2015 and another 3 series for newly elected and re-elected officials last September 2018.
BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM
The objectives are:
Empower barangay officials as leaders of their barangays; and identify their roles in providing basic health services to address the inequities present in their barangay.
In Batangas City, some barangay officials take their role lightly because they always depend on the city level for all their needs. There are also officials who are not aware of the various health programs implemented by LGUs despite being informed about them.
Barangay Health Boards are dysfunctional because none are organized. Some officials do not know about the health status of their barangays. With these issues listed, a workshop was conducted to define their roles as leaders.
SOLUTION AND IMPACT
The Best Practice’s Theory of Change is to develop competent and good leaders in the barangay to engage in the health care delivery system and produce better health outcomes.
Prior to the program, coordination was done with the Department of the Interior and Local Government to issue a memorandum to all barangay chairpersons to participate in the activity.
A workshop was held where they were introduced to the health status of the barangay and were shown a road map to analyze what needs to be done in their barangay. At this workshop, they were asked how they see themselves 2-3 years later.
During the workshop, barangay-wise clusters were formed, consisting of the Barangay Chairman, Kagawad, Health Committee, Midwife, and Barangay Health Officer. They were given a Barangay Roadmap and asked to analyze how they are doing in terms of health care delivery. In 2018, the Chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and the SK Kagawad on Health were added as participants.
Immediately after the workshop, Barangay Health Councils were organized and resolutions were passed. The long-term impact of this workshop is to create leaders who are artists who realize that the problem is theirs and that they are responsible for solving these challenges facing their barangay.
MILESTONES All 105 barangays organized their own Barangay Health Boards by passing their respective resolutions. Construction and renovation of health facilities. Allocation of funds for health programs Continuous monitoring of the plan Possible recognition of deserving barangays
What are the duties of the Barangay Board of Health?
– The Barangay Board of Health shall have the following functions:
1. Monitor health status to identify and address Barangay health problems.
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and health risks in the barangay.
What is the purpose of the health program?
Health promotion and disease prevention programs focus on keeping people healthy. Health promotion programs aim to engage and empower individuals and communities. To make healthy behavior choices and make changes that reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases and other illnesses.
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