“Walang nanay ang dapat namamatay habang nagbibigay ng buhay.” (No mother should die while giving birth). This was the powerful statement made by Dr. Emilia P. Monicimpo, Regional Director of Department of Health (DOH) Region IX on 05 March 2020 during her 1^st ever State of the DOH Regional Address (SODOHRA) held at Grand Astoria Hotel, Zamboanga City which was attended by Local Chief Executives (LCEs), heads of agencies, other leaders, and officers. Key personalities like Undersecretary Abdullah B. Dumama and POPCOM Executive Director Juan Antonio A. Perez were the special guests during the occasion. Dr. Monicimpo relayed in her speech DOH Region IX’s achievements and strategies in the health system of the region. Likewise, she also mentioned difficult challenges in the region, one of which is the high prevalence of stunting. She called on to the Local Government Units (LGUs) to look into this problem.

Dr. Monicimpo was inspired to share her experiences when she was still the Municipal Health Officer (MHO) in providing the best health care services to the communities. She said she had the opportunity and the privilege to visit three families, two of which of maternal deaths, and one family of three members who were diagnosed with tuberculosis. To make the story short, one maternal death was caused by the refusal of rural health workers to accept the mother when she is about to give birth and the other was caused by poor relay of information by the health worker. While under these circumstances, Dr. Monicimpo reminded the health workers to be careful on how they communicate and to show compassion despite all the stress. It is still the responsibility of the health workers to educate and properly communicate correct information to their clients for them to understand and abide by the process.

As a former MHO, she realized that there are still a lot of lapses particularly in the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) and indigenous people. She was thankful that she was able to visit those three families as it opened her eyes on the fact that it is really different when health workers interact with individuals, families or with the community than merely monitoring their accomplishments based on the data reports submitted.

In line with this, the DOH identified and implemented interventions, programs and activities that will have an impact on the families, just like the three families she visited. On top of it all, the DOH ensures that all health facilities are licensed and monitored. With this, Dr. Monicimpo proudly announced that Zamboanga City Medical Center is the only tertiary hospital in the region with bed capacity of 400, had their own cancer center, eye center and hopefully in the next years, established a center for heart and brain.

DOH also improved the access to free medicines through medicine access programs as well as having them at lower prices through projects like Gamot na Mabisa at Abot Kaya project and P100 project. Of course, with affordable medicines, the community will be able to provide their families with proper medications. More importantly, being able to avail and consume the right medicine is one way to save lives as well as prevent loses, health complications and diseases.

Also, to improve the nutritional status, growth and development of infant and children, DOH identified interventions to increase their survival rate through optimal feeding. They also conducted trainings and workshops to fully advocate kontra polio campaigns. From October 2019, they conducted a mass polio immunization which yielded positive results as they hit the 95% target for measles and polio.

Proudly, Dr. Monicimpo announced that with the passage of the Universal Health Care Law, Zamboanga Del Norte is the 1^st to signify its intent to a universal health care integration site. With this, the DOH was able to deploy 1,325 Human Resources for Health in Zamboanga Peninsula in 2019. The DOH also try to prevent and control non-communicable diseases by promoting health programs and primary care. They envision disease-free zones and eliminate filariasis, rabies and malaria as public health threats with programs such as National Filariasis Program, National Malaria Control and Elimination Program and the National Rabies Control Program. With the efforts and cooperation of LGUs, the provinces of Zamboanga Del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and the City of Isabela are now filariasis-free; Zamboanga Del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay are malaria-free; and the Municipalities of Olutanga, Mabuhay, Talusan in Zamboanga Sibugay are now rabies-free.

Lastly, the DOH ensures that they have sufficient resources and supplies of safe blood. Thus, the National Voluntary Blood Services Program hopes that more people will be voluntary, regular, and unpaid donors to meet the regional blood necessities for sufficient supply of safe blood. To acknowledge the LGUs who were able to donate sufficient amount of safe blood and encourage more people to donate, the Dugong Bayani Awards give recognition to LGUs who were able to donate 2.5 donation rate for three consecutive years.

As her speech comes to an end, Dr. Monicimpo invited the LGUs, LCEs, and fellow health leaders to juncture with the DOH in committing to provide better health services this 2020 to achieve a better outcome in the region. Cooperation and effort from the LGUs, LCEs, and the communities will surely make a change to provide better health services. Dr. Monicimpo then ended her speech by quoting a deaf-blind American author, saying, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

Photo source: live coverage by PIA Western Mindanao

AA VI Cielo Katrina M. Mabalot