DAVAO CITY — Mayor Inday Sara Duterte has vowed to prioritize health and well-being of the Dabawenyos even as her administration is currently working aggressively to ensure stronger local economy and development in Davao City.
“My administration has identified 10 priority areas to build Davao City around this vision and included in the agenda is health,” Mayor Inday Sara Duterte said.
Mayor Inday took note of the various health programs established by the city government and among these was the establishment of the Reproductive Health and Wellness Center (RHWC). The center is handling cases of Sexually Transmitted Infections, including HIV and AIDS.
“The RHWC has been established as one of the treatment hubs in the country for People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV),” she said during her State of the City Address (Soca).
Last March, the local government through the RHWC supported the conduct of #SaveSexy in Davao — an awareness campaign on the HIV-AIDS.
The establishment of the RHWC has made the city host of two HIV-AIDS treatment facility. The other facility is in the Southern Philippines Medical Center.
With the RHWC, the City Health Office has become very active in addressing reproductive health and HIV issues in support of the country’s national response to HIV-AIDS.
The prevalence of HIV-AIDS in the city made it the Top 5 on the list of the country’s areas with the most number of reported cases from January 1984 to February 2016.
From January to June this year alone, a total of 524 people had been diagnosed with HIV. Of the number, 49 percent or 259 undergo treatment at the RHWC.
The RHWC was also chosen to become a pilot testing site for rHIVda (Rapid HIV Diagnostic Algorithm) even as hospitals continued to use the western blot as confirmatory test for HIV.
Under the western blot system, the sample would be processed at the STD AIDS Cooperative Center Laboratory (SACCL) in Manila and it usually takes more than three weeks for the results to be known.
But using rHIVda, the determination of the result is much faster.
Aside from establishing the necessary facility for HIV concerns, the city also continuously conducts information and education campaign to somehow minimize the stigma attached to HIV.
The City Population Office also closely coordinates with universities and high schools for the conduct of seminars and symposiums on STI and HIV-AIDS.
The RHWC, aside from helping HIV patients, has also been very active in encouraging people to be tested for HIV, considering that treatment is available for those detected at an early stage.
“Early detection, especially for those with high-risk lifestyle, is encouraged,” RHWC head Dr. Jordana Ramiterre said.
The other priority concerns of Mayor Inday under Byaheng Do30 are: Poverty Alleviation, Infrastructure Development, Solid Waste Management, Education, Agriculture, Tourism, Transportation Planning and Traffic Management, Peace and Order, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation. | PNA
