Tuesday, October 31, 2006 Town awarded for 'doctors to the barrios' support
THE Municipal Government of Aguinaldo in Ifugao was given a certificate of appreciation by the Department of Health (DOH) for actively supporting the government's program dubbed as "Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB)" in ceremonies held in Davao City.
The certificate, which was signed by DOH Health Human Resource Development Bureau Director Kenneth Ronquillo, states that the municipality of Aguinaldo integrated the DTTB volunteer in their health care system.
"The municipality (Aguinaldo) actively supported the department in achieving the accessibility, availability and sustainability of quality health care of their constituents through the institutionalization of health reforms and the strengthening of relationships and cooperation among various stakeholders," the certificate added.
Created by the DOH in May 1993, the DTTB program envisions that all municipalities in the Philippines will have doctors. Given the reality where there is a varying pace of development and inequitable distribution of scarce resources, the health department identified 271 municipalities nationwide to be without doctors and lack the capability to provide adequate health services resulting in high morality and morbidity rates in these areas.
Five of the 11 Ifugao municipalities are beneficiaries of the program, including Tinoc, Asipulo, Aguinaldo, Hungduan and Hingyon.
Dr. Catherine Haynes, a DTTB assigned to the province, said she appreciates the support shown by the LGU to the health programs of the government. She said although not from the place, she enjoys rendering health services to the people of Aguinaldo and appreciates the Municipal Government for absorbing her as the municipal health officer.
Haynes, who has been in Aguinaldo for almost a year, also received an award for being a health advocate. The special merit award states that she showed exemplary heroism and perseverance to institutionalize a progressive and dynamic system of community healthcare in a manner that is unique, systematic and practical in the field of public service to far-flung, underserved and hard to reach municipalities in the Philippines.
The doctor was awarded for implementing a healthy month celebration.
"This is the first time that the said celebration was implemented here," said Haynes, adding that the program was implemented in partnership with the Foundation on Lay Education on Heart Diseases.
Haynes also conducted a workshop for barangay health workers on preventive cardiology, the first to be done in the province.
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