(Courtesy of Department of Health)
MANILA – Researches on health are relevant in the whole-of-government approach towards universal health care (UHC), the Department of Health (DOH) emphasized on Monday.
During the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the creation of the Institute of Health Promotion and expansion of the National Practice Guideline Program, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that through science, experts will be able to develop appropriate interventions that will facilitate improved policy development and implementation.
The MOU signing between the DOH and the University of the Philippines Manila - National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) was followed by a discussion.
Attended by representatives from relevant government agencies, policymakers, researchers, clinicians, and students, the discussion provided a venue for reflection and learning from the ethical challenges in research and policy during the Covid-19 pandemic; and presentation of actionable evidence-based recommendations for health policy and public health programs.
“With all of these in mind, we look forward to more shared successes towards UHC for every Juan and Juana, and to more decades of fruitful collaboration with the UP-NIH,” Vergeire said.
Through the creation of the Institute of Health Promotion, the DOH would provide funding to the UP-NIH to conduct health promotion research, contribute to evidence-informed policy advocacy, and advance relevant research and advocacy skills.
UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla and UP-NIH executive director Eva Maria Cutiongco-Dela Paz joined Vergeire during the signing. (PNA)
