The devolution of basic social services under the Local Government Code has encouraged local government units to take an active role in establishing their respective health agenda. The uneven capability to manage and maintain resources among LGUs has resulted in a similar yet uneven implementation of various health delivery programs and systems nationwide.
In Quezon City, the health department has an enormous task of overseeing 142 barangays composed of a total of 422,508 families as of 2010, ensuring the efficient mobilization of its resources, most especially at the grassroots level. An important component of its health program is the implementation of maternal and child healthcare services.
“Health is a priority of Quezon City. In 2011, a total of P443.4 million was allocated to Quezon City Health Department for health operations of the 62 health centers, seven lying-in clinics, three social hygiene clinics and one mobile health center,” Dr. Antonieta Inumerable, city health officer III, said.
“All health facilities are being managed by medical officers and a team of dentist, nurses, midwives and barangay health workers. We implement all mandated health programs of the Department of Health (DoH) such as Maternal and Child Health Programs, Communicable and Non-Communicable Disease Control Programs and Dental Health Program, to name a few,” she said.
In 2008, the Quezon City health department forged a version of the private-public partnership (PPP) involving United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab) and DoH for the pilot run of Bayanihan sa Kalusugan (BsK), a public-private sector initiative aimed at helping the government to strengthen the capabilities of the barangay health centers.
The program is focused on the organized delivery of DoH’s program for maternal and child health services particularly on pre-natal and ante-natal care, immunization for infants and young children and family planning. The program is also a response to the challenges set by the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.
The BHWs are considered as the frontline service providers of the health centers. They are the ones who engage the people in the community to improve their health seeking behavior, and to encourage them to avail of the extensive health programs provided by DoH.
Hence, the first phase of the BsK program focused on the BHWs’ function for case findings, timely issuances of referrals to the health centers and accurate documentation of health services rendered. These were identified as critical elements that provided access to people in the communities so that they are able to avail of healthcare services provided for by the local government for free.
To achieve the objectives of the program, Unilab, DoH and the Quezon City Health Department developed a manual and journal that were used by the BHWs as reference for the key programs of DoH in health centers, as well as a master list of the patients that are being served.