CALAMBA CITY, Laguna -- Barangay (village) health workers (BHWs) are being tapped by the Department of Health (DOH) regional office in Calabarzon as frontliners in the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) law, particularly at the two pilot sites in Batangas and Quezon.
This, as the DOH-Calabarzon prepares for the UHC implementation by strengthening the province-wide health care delivery system by first training BHWs for their enhanced role.
DOH-Calabarzon Regional Director Dr. Eduardo C. Janairo told PNA on Wednesday that the capability training for the BHWs aims to enhance their capacity and prepare them for their role as “navigators” in pursuit of the new UHC law signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on February 20 this year.
The Universal Health Care law or Republic Act 11223 provides automatic enrollment of all Filipino citizens in the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) and prescribes complementary reforms in the health care system.
“We have to train and capacitate our BHWs in preparation for their important role as ‘navigators’ under the UHCL because they will become part of a health care provider network wherein they will play a major role in the implementation of health programs for the province-wide and city-wide health system that will be put in place in the two selected provinces,” Janairo explained.
He stressed that under the province-wide and city-wide health system, a BHW will be the primary care providers, tasked to extend primary, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care to those in need.
In addition, the BHW will also act as an information aide in the collection of data and basic information on patients at the local level.
“This network will be providing people-centered and comprehensive care in an integrated and coordinated manner with the primary care provider or navigator who will be the coordinator of health care within the network,” he said. (PNA)
