The
Palace has vowed to continue providing Filipinos quality health care under the
administration's universal health care program, especially after the Department
of Health (DOH) was recognized for its successful campaign against tuberculosis
(TB).
In a statement issued on Wednesday (March 25), Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the Palace recognizes the award given by the United States government to the Philippines for its effective fight against tuberculosis.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) granted the "TB Champion” award to the DOH as part of the observance of World Tuberculosis Day on Tuesday (March 24).
The USAID each year recognizes individuals, organizations or institutions that have become instrumental to the achievement of global TB targets.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. accepted the award on behalf of the country, in Washington DC on Tuesday.
"The award recognizes the DOH’s exemplary and leadership commitment in the fight against TB in the country," Secretary Coloma said.
"According to Health Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin, the DOH has been implementing programs and strategies that effectively treated drug resistant TB, and allowed for greater coverage of TB patients nationwide."
The DOH reported that as early as 2012, the country has already achieved its 2015 Millennium Development Goal in fighting TB, making the country one of seven among 22 high-burdened countries to do so.
"We shall continue to provide quality health service to our citizens, especially the poor, consistent with the government’s Universal Health Care for Filipinos program," Coloma added.
The DOH has reported a marked decline in the incidence of TB in the country since it launched the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) strategy in 1996. As of 2013, cases and deaths due to TB dropped by more than 50 percent from the 1990 baseline.
In 2011, the DOH introduced rapid diagnostic tools, such as the Line Probe Assay, Mycobacterium Growth Indicator Tube and GeneXpert, to improve and reduce the turnaround time of multi-drug resistant TB diagnosis.
There has also been a continuous expansion of services for drug-resistant TB cases to at least one treatment or satellite center per province and highly urbanized city, according to the DOH.
The success of the country's fight against TB was attributed to the implementation of the DOTS strategy, management of the multi-drug resistant TB, initiation of public-private mix DOTS, implementation of TB in children program, and the enhancement of the DOTS through the adoption of the STOP TB strategy endorsed by the World Health Organization.
Tuberculosis ranked as the 8th leading cause of sickness in the country based on 2010 data, and the 6th leading cause of death, according to data from the 2009 Philippine Health Statistics.
At present, the Philippines is 8th among 22 TB high-burdened countries in the world in terms of TB cases. (PCOO News Release)
In a statement issued on Wednesday (March 25), Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the Palace recognizes the award given by the United States government to the Philippines for its effective fight against tuberculosis.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) granted the "TB Champion” award to the DOH as part of the observance of World Tuberculosis Day on Tuesday (March 24).
The USAID each year recognizes individuals, organizations or institutions that have become instrumental to the achievement of global TB targets.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. accepted the award on behalf of the country, in Washington DC on Tuesday.
"The award recognizes the DOH’s exemplary and leadership commitment in the fight against TB in the country," Secretary Coloma said.
"According to Health Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin, the DOH has been implementing programs and strategies that effectively treated drug resistant TB, and allowed for greater coverage of TB patients nationwide."
The DOH reported that as early as 2012, the country has already achieved its 2015 Millennium Development Goal in fighting TB, making the country one of seven among 22 high-burdened countries to do so.
"We shall continue to provide quality health service to our citizens, especially the poor, consistent with the government’s Universal Health Care for Filipinos program," Coloma added.
The DOH has reported a marked decline in the incidence of TB in the country since it launched the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) strategy in 1996. As of 2013, cases and deaths due to TB dropped by more than 50 percent from the 1990 baseline.
In 2011, the DOH introduced rapid diagnostic tools, such as the Line Probe Assay, Mycobacterium Growth Indicator Tube and GeneXpert, to improve and reduce the turnaround time of multi-drug resistant TB diagnosis.
There has also been a continuous expansion of services for drug-resistant TB cases to at least one treatment or satellite center per province and highly urbanized city, according to the DOH.
The success of the country's fight against TB was attributed to the implementation of the DOTS strategy, management of the multi-drug resistant TB, initiation of public-private mix DOTS, implementation of TB in children program, and the enhancement of the DOTS through the adoption of the STOP TB strategy endorsed by the World Health Organization.
Tuberculosis ranked as the 8th leading cause of sickness in the country based on 2010 data, and the 6th leading cause of death, according to data from the 2009 Philippine Health Statistics.
At present, the Philippines is 8th among 22 TB high-burdened countries in the world in terms of TB cases. (PCOO News Release)
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