THE Cebu Provincial Board (PB) has approved, on second reading, an ordinance institutionalizing a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Health (DRRM-H) system in Cebu
Authored by Second District Board Member Stanley Caminero, the measure mandates the creation of specialized health units and emergency response teams across the province.
Caminero, chair of the PB Committee on Public Health and Social Services, said the measure seeks to strengthen the province’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies and disasters, including those linked to climate change.
The proposed ordinance aligns with Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act, and related Department of Health issuances that mandate resilient, integrated, and people-centered health systems.
Under the proposed measure, the Province will institutionalize a functional DRRM-H system that integrates governance, service delivery, resource management, and information systems to ensure timely, effective, and efficient health responses during emergencies and disasters.
The ordinance mandates the organization of DRRM-H units within the Provincial Health Office and local health offices, the development and funding of a DRRM-H plan, the training and mobilization of Health Emergency Response Teams, the stockpiling of essential health emergency commodities, and the establishment or activation of emergency operations centers for public health.
It also outlines the roles of the Provincial Health Board, Provincial Health Office, component city and municipal health offices, and public and private health care providers in ensuring coordinated service delivery, referral systems, and continuity of care during emergencies.
Funding for the implementation of the DRRM-H system may be sourced from the province’s annual budget, national government subsidies, and supplemental funding from concerned agencies, subject to existing budgeting and auditing rules. / CDF