TACLOBAN CITY (Jack C. Gadaingan, Nation Builder)–“The activity is to capacitate the Nutrition Cluster (members) on monitoring and reporting whatever is happening in their respective localities in times of calamities and emergencies.To immediately forward to the mother Health Sector whatever data that has been gathered as far as nutrition is concerned. So that if nutrition is a priority it could soonest be given focus.”
Dr. Catalino P. Dotollo Jr., National Nutrition Council Region VIII (NNC-8) Regional Nutrition Program coordinator (RNPC), stated this is an exclusive interview with Nation Builder, during the conduct of “Training of Trainers on Nutrition Cluster Information Management” for the local level held on September 2-4, 2019 at the Leyte Park Hotel, here.
The three-day roll-out training,underwritten by the Department of Health Region VIII (DoH-8), was attended by Nutrition Action Officers (NAOs) and Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officers (DRRMOs) from the provinces of Leyte, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Samar and the cities of Tacloban, Baybay and Ormoc.
RNPC Dotollo said that, successful response during emergencies requires timely flow and sharing of information. Management of relevant information is essential in providing appropriate nutrition interventions. Correct and reliable information must be generated for use in nutrition in emergency program planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and for integration in recovery and rehabilitation plan. Also, vital to improving nutrition response is the proper reporting and sharing of information. These can be achieved through information management (IM) system.
The training aimed to capacitate the local nutrition cluster members on nutrition information management, specifically to: 1. develop competencies on information management including data collection, processing, analysis, visualization, and dissemination; 2. develop knowledge and skills on using the six Nutrition Cluster Information Management tools; and 3. improve their skills in planning, program implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of nutrition information management activities.
It was gathered that in responding to emergencies, health by protocol is under Social-Services that is chaired by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and health further is composed of four clusters, three of these headed by the DoH namely: 1. health; 2. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH); and 3. mental health and psycho-social services.
The RNPC revealed that, the reporting mechanism of these three health-clusters is in tacked being headed by DoH. Whereas the fourth cluster of health sector, the Nutrition Cluster, is somewhat separated because under law the NNC shall head the Nutrition Cluster. “So that we are saying to the participants of this training not to wait for the health-sector to ask, but to immediately report whatever data that has been gathered as far as nutrition is concerned, in order for them to be included in the health data--so that if nutrition is a priority it can be given outright focus!” Dotollo said.
Among the resource persons of this1st Batch local level Information Management live-intraining utilizing cyber tele-conferencing technology for the distant speakers were: DoH NutritionProgram Manager Felecita R. Borata, DoH LHTAPMS Chief Fidelita D. Dico, NNC-NSD Leah Felismino, RNPC Dotollo, Nutrition Officer III Nino Archie S. Labordo and Nutrition Officer II Ullasini J. Pangan.
