GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) has raised concern over the increasing number of individuals with comorbidities that are being reported by the rural health units (RHUs).
Dr. Edvir Jane Montañer, the immunization manager of the Department of Health (DOH)-Region 12, said on Thursday they noticed the trend in the reports submitted by the RHUs in the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) inoculation coverage for priority group A3 (persons with comorbidities).
She said the vaccination accomplishment so far for A3 in the region’s four provinces and five cities has surpassed the original target by 143.67 percent.
The master list for the group earlier submitted by local health offices only listed a total of 117,532 eligible individuals but some 168,861 were vaccinated in the area as of Thursday.
“We need to have a holistic approach on this because the data showed that there are many individuals who already have comorbidities in the region,” Montañer said in a briefing.
She said they tapped personnel under their non-communicable diseases program to formulate strategies to address the problem.
It will look into possible interventions to stop the number of individuals with comorbidities in the area from further increasing, she said.
Aside from the Covid-19 vaccination, Montañer said they also advised the RHUs to come up with strategies and interventions on the matter.
A DOH-12 report said hypertension was the leading cause of morbidity or illness in the region in 2020 with 26,887, followed by acute respiratory infection with 18,845, urinary tract infection with 13,708, and upper respiratory tract infection.
The other leading causes of morbidity are wounds (all types), Influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis/bronchiolitis, acute watery diarrhea, and diabetes mellitus.
In terms of mortality or deaths, heart diseases topped the list with 2,062, followed by hypertension with 1,469, renal disease with 1,345, and pneumonia with 1,251.
Completing the top 10 causes of mortality are cancer (all forms) with 1,239, cerebrovascular accidents/stroke with 1,141, diabetes mellitus with 999, myocardial infarction with 605, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with 499, and tuberculosis (all forms) with 435. (PNA)
