PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – Newly-recruited barangay health workers (BHWs) in the town of Rizal have undergone an anti-malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) training-seminar as part of the Kilusan Ligtas Malaria’s (KLM) goal to strengthen the detection of the mosquito-borne disease, a health officer said Monday.
Aileen Balderian, program manager of the KLM which is under the Palawan government’s Provincial Health Office (PHO), said a total of 16 BHWs was trained in RDT on August 8 to 9.
“This is part of the program’s aim to train new BHWs who volunteered to serve the public on health in far-flung villages. The training has two series that they need to pass to become accredited malaria diagnostic test personnel,” she said.
Balderian said the Rizal BHW training is focused on strengthening the KLM to fight malaria, and curb cases in the province after the town was found out to be the municipality with the highest number of cases.
“Based on KLM records, the number of residents who have malaria in Rizal has reached 248,” she said, adding they were discovered by the accredited RDTs that the KLM trained in the past.
She said they are continuously training RDTs despite declining cases all over Palawan this year.
Balderian claimed earlier that from 3,808 cases reported last year, malaria incidence in Palawan has gone down to 1,800 cases.
She said they have been stepping up efforts to eradicate the mosquito-borne disease with the help of Global Fund and Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI). The provincial government wants to reach the final or “elimination phase” of the program by 2022, she added.
Meanwhile, she said 11 barangay chairmen attended a consultative meeting called by the provincial government on August 7 regarding malaria.
“Part of what was presented was what is happening now in the status of malaria in Rizal, and what strategies can be followed for numbers to be prevented from shooting up again,” she said.
Balderian also disclosed that Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. has committed to building, in each barangay with high malaria cases, halfway homes that can accommodate patients while they are confined and recuperating.
They expect that the construction of halfway homes will be completed in September this year. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)
