RESIDENTS of Mandaue City can now expect more seamless and accessible healthcare services across its 27 barangays following the launch of the Health Care Provider Network (HCPN) in the city on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024.
Mandaue City became the first highly urbanized city in Central Visayas to integrate the HCPN into its primary healthcare service provision. The HCPN was launched at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.
The HCPN is composed of public and private secondary and tertiary healthcare providers.
Primary healthcare providers act as navigators and coordinators within this network.
The HCPN was launched to facilitate and expedite the transfer of patients to hospitals that offer the necessary services and operate on a multi-level referral system, such as cases that cannot be handled by the Barangay Health Center and need to be referred to Mandaue City Hospital or partner hospitals like Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Eversley Childs Sanitarium and General Hospital, and Chong Hua Hospital.
Dr. Debra Maria Catulong, acting city health officer of Mandaue City, emphasized the importance of the HCPN, noting that primary healthcare providers often face limitations in resources and equipment.
“We need to establish that kind of collaborative partnership with higher levels of healthcare because there also limitations with the primary healthcare service providers,” said Catulong.
Chosen as an integration site for the Local Health System on Nov. 28, 2022, Mandaue City has since worked with the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH 7) to establish networks with public and private medical facilities, Catulong said.
The city has also strengthened its referral system and renovated key areas in its healthcare facilities.
Catulong said poor residents of Mandaue often struggle to access quality health services due to financial constraints, but the HCPN will make it easier for them.
Mayor Jonas Cortes said that the primary goal of the HCPN is to make healthcare accessible in a systematic and organized manner.
“It’s not just about responding to what the people want, but rather answering the question - what we can do to make the process of health care services organized and more efficient for them,” he said.
Beyond leveraging its network, the HCPN aims to digitize patient medical records, establish health profiles of PhilHealth members, deploy more healthcare workers, and improve health education, literacy, and health-seeking behavior, said Cortes.
HCPN’s Role in Universal Health Care DOH Undersecretary for Visayas Mary Ann Palermo-Maestral praised Mandaue City’s commitment to establishing the HCPN, seeing it as a sign of its dedication to providing excellent services to its people.
The DOH has pledged to support this initiative by providing necessary resources and training to Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), who are crucial in implementing the program.
DOH 7 Director Jaime Bernadas acknowledged Mandaue City’s efforts, noting that while the city was the last to begin this program, it was the first to successfully establish the HCPN.
He stressed the importance of commitment from both private and public sectors and stakeholders to make the program effective.
Bernadas also urged local officials to focus on health education and cleanliness to prevent illness and reduce hospital visits. / CAV with Jerry Yubal, VSU DEVCOMM INTERN