Health services up in MP; Expats give hema analyzer

By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Health services have improved in the province as it is a priority of  the  provincial government, Gov.  Leonard Mayaen said in his “state of the province address” here Jan. 14 before the SanngguniangPanlalawigan, municipal mayors and representatives from government agencies, even as noted construction  and improvement of  barangay health clinics in remote  barangays  of the Province  among other work done for the year.

Accessible clinics make it easier for  parents and  children to avail of  health check- ups and affordable medicine especially ailments commonly encountered by children including diarrhea, and other  respiratory diseases as pneumonia, coughs and colds, he said.

Four barangay health stations in remote areas in Belwang, Sacasacan and  Saclit barangays in Sadanga  and Mabalite, Tadian were constructed in cooperation with respective local government units. Improvement of health clinics were  noted  in Barlig, BagnenOriente and Mayag  of Bauko; Caneo, Bontoc; Bunot, Paracelis; Ambasing and  Madongo in Sagada.

The construction of health centers funded by the European Commission and the  Health Facility  Enhancement  program of the  Department of  Health adds up to  clinics built in clustered barangays and make health services better attended to.

Health services  make up  a sizable  slice  of the  29.89 percent or practically 30% of  the 2012 budget spent on social services with a big cut  used to bankroll  operations of  four  hospitals- the Bontoc general hospital, Besao district hospital, Barlig district hospital and the Paracelis district hospital.   

Bontoc  General  Hospital with  34,266 patients  has  used up more than 66 million pesos  including improvement  of the BGH charity ward.

This, aside from P5 million allocated for 4,260  Philhealth beneficiaries.

The Provincial Coalition on Healthy Lifestyle, Mayaen said, was organized  to address  rising cases of non-communicable  diseases  or lifestyle diseases  like hypertension, cardio-vascular diseases and cancer  now among the top leading causes of  deaths in the Province.  A Provincial health summit was conducted participated by barangay- based  health workers  who shared practises worth duplicating.

Also, Mayaen  cited five  day care centers  constructed in  Bauko, Sabangan, Paracelis and Natonin and improvement of  20  school facilities  in Natonin, Sagada, Sabangan, Besao, Bauko, Tadian,  Sadanga, Parcellis, Bontoc and Natonin. Three open gymnasiums  were constructed  in Barlig, Bauko and Sadanga.

In a related development, the Sagada  Binnadang Group, an organization of  migrant workers  based in Israel  donated a hematology analyzer  to the Sagada rural health unit here.

Said machine is part of the programs of the Liga ng mga  Barangay of Sagada chaired by  Association of Barangay Chairmen  head  Joseph Aclopen.  

ABC head and Madongo barangay captain Aclopen coordinated the donation with a relative and a schoolmate based in Israel.

The hematology analyzer costing P490,000  is an in-vitro  diagnostic equipment applied to  quantitative analysis  of blood cells and blood count.

The Sangguniang Bayan in their certificate of  appreciation given to Sagada Binnadang Group  for their display of  deep concern to the municipality of Sagada, said the hematology  equipment  is “ very useful and  making  disease diagnosis easier  and  faster thus reducing referrals to hospitals  and lessening  cost of  disease treatment.”

A certificate of recognition was also given by said Liga to the Sagada Binnadang Group in Israel  for their  sincere dedication  and commitment  to the health programs of the organization of the barangay officers.