ILOILO CITY — The Sangguniang Panlungsod (Provincial Board) here has passed an ordinance localizing the Philippine Package of Essential Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) (PhilPEN) Services.
“With the passage of the ordinance, Iloilo City is now a forerunner for this advocacy on non-communicable diseases,” Councilor Candice Magdalane A. Tupas, chair of the board’s committee on health, sanitation and hospital services, said in an interview Tuesday.
NCDs include cervical, prostate and breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases, diabetes mellitus, and asthma.
Under the “PhilPEN Ordinance”, all district health centers in the city are mandated to provide services such as: fasting blood sugar to detect diabetes mellitus; blood pressure screening to detect hypertension; visual acetic acid test for early detection of cervical cancer; routine breast examination; and digital rectal exam for early detection of prostate cancer.
The ordinance also ensures fund allocation for its implementation. This year, the City Health Office (CHO) has been allocated PHP300,000 for NCDs, but this is not enough to “satisfy fully the implementation of the PhilPEN.”
“Our LGU (local government unit) needs to allocate funds in order for the barangay to have that,” she said, adding that barangays have to pass a resolution that they are adopting the program.
PhilPEN is a component of the Integrated Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Program of the Department of Health (DOH).
With the city government’s adoption of PhilPEN, the city also qualifies to avail of support from the DOH. “If we run out of supply from the DOH, then we can activate the LGU fund to be able to buy medicines,” she said.
Under the PhilPEN package, district medical officers, barangay health workers and volunteer health workers shall embark on an advocacy drive to increase public awareness about available services.
The Department of Education has to promote healthy lifestyle among the youth with emphasis on adequate nutrition and proper exercise while government agencies and private institutions have to allot approximately 30 to 45 minutes for physical exercise at least three times a week.
A technical working group will also be created to ensure the implementation of the PhilPEN package.
A report by the CHO revealed that NCDs are among the top 10 causes of mortalities in the city during the past three years. (Perla Lena/PNA)
