Cebu City – Unless weight is measured in a mode that is clear, correct, complete and credible, only then can clear, correct, complete and credible response be taken to address nutrition issues.
NNC 7’s NO III Susan Y. Orpilla underscored that Operation Timbang data must possess the four Cs quality that is clear, correct, complete and credible. She made the statement during the Cebu City Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) Congress held on Friday, January 5, 2013 at the Crown Regency Hotel, Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City.
NO II Orpilla talked about the topic, “Operation Timbang: What’s New?” to appraise the Barangay Health Workers on the current development in Operation Timbang (OPT), OPT Plus, the new guidelines, their role in OPT and the different OPT forms. She also presented the OPT data base system.
Operation Timbang (OPT) Plus is the annual mass weighing with the addition of the measurement of length or height of all children aged 0-71 months in the community to identify and locate families with malnourished preschool children, and determine the overall nutrition situation in the area. The mass OPT is done every 1st quarter of the year.
The Department of Health issued AO No 2010-15 to adopt the World Health Organization-Child Growth Standards (WHO-CGS) for the assessment of nutritional status of children 0-5 years old and in the conduct of Growth Monitoring and Promotion and OPT. NNC Governing Board (GB) Resolution No. 2, s 2012 entitled “Approving the Implementing Guidelines on OPT Plus was also signed by Secretary Enrique T. Ona during the NNC Governing Board Meeting held on 12 January 2012 to fully implement WHO-CGS.
A Barangay Health Worker is a person who has undergone health and related training programs under any accredited government and non-government organization who voluntarily renders primarily health care services in the community. The BHW together with the Barangay Nutrition Scholar, are directly involved in monitoring the weights and heights of the children. //DFB
