The Philippines has volunteered to pilot the Healthy Women,
Healthy Economies Policy Toolkit in Pampanga to serve as a guide for the rest
of the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in
adopting the toolkit, according to health ministers’ meeting chair, Health Secretary
Janette Garin.
Germany-based Dr. Sarbani Chakraborty, the global public policy senior director of the pharmaceutical giant Merck, said that after the field test in the Philippines, APEC economies are expected to voluntarily implement the health policy toolkit by 2019.
In a forum, Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Paulyn Ubial said the Philippines volunteered to conduct the pilot project in 2014 during the APEC Summit in Beijing.
During the test, companies in Pampanga’s economic zone would voluntarily adopt the toolkit by answering a scorecard where they have to identify specific interventions.
The DOH and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will then give the companies points for adopting certain practices identified in the toolkit.
The point system gives a green mark or 90 points and above for best practices; a yellow mark for 71 to 89 points; and a red mark for 70 points and below.
"We will give grants for green scores. These grants will enhance their program," Dr. Ubial said.
The Philippines is developing an action plan for testing the toolkit.
“One of the things that we are discussing with the regional health office, DOLE, and DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) is how to go about actually asking private sector partners or companies in the economic zone in Pampanga to actually adopt the toolkit," Ubial said.
The health policy toolkit for women seeks to address the increasing rate of non-communicable diseases among female workers; improve women’s access to health care by providing indigenous and non-regular employed females with health insurance for them and their families; provide them access to maternal health care and education; raise awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace and due process and fair treatment of both complainants and accused persons; increase coverage of public spaces and public transport; and address discrimination in the workplace among pregnant women, among others.
Germany-based Dr. Sarbani Chakraborty, the global public policy senior director of the pharmaceutical giant Merck, said that after the field test in the Philippines, APEC economies are expected to voluntarily implement the health policy toolkit by 2019.
In a forum, Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Paulyn Ubial said the Philippines volunteered to conduct the pilot project in 2014 during the APEC Summit in Beijing.
During the test, companies in Pampanga’s economic zone would voluntarily adopt the toolkit by answering a scorecard where they have to identify specific interventions.
The DOH and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will then give the companies points for adopting certain practices identified in the toolkit.
The point system gives a green mark or 90 points and above for best practices; a yellow mark for 71 to 89 points; and a red mark for 70 points and below.
"We will give grants for green scores. These grants will enhance their program," Dr. Ubial said.
The Philippines is developing an action plan for testing the toolkit.
“One of the things that we are discussing with the regional health office, DOLE, and DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) is how to go about actually asking private sector partners or companies in the economic zone in Pampanga to actually adopt the toolkit," Ubial said.
The health policy toolkit for women seeks to address the increasing rate of non-communicable diseases among female workers; improve women’s access to health care by providing indigenous and non-regular employed females with health insurance for them and their families; provide them access to maternal health care and education; raise awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace and due process and fair treatment of both complainants and accused persons; increase coverage of public spaces and public transport; and address discrimination in the workplace among pregnant women, among others.
In a related development, Dr. Garin said she and her fellow health chiefs from APEC member economies have been formulating a checklist for the past 18 months to help governments, companies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) improve health-related barriers to women's ability to enter, remain, and rise in the labor force.
"Women's empowerment and the promotion of gender equality are keys to achieving sustainable economic development in APEC," she noted.
The beneficiaries of these policies are 865 million women workers, particularly the indigenous, cross-border, migrant, unregulated, and local casual laborers, as well as the urban poor.
Ubial said implementing these policies would result in an evident gain of financial income for businesses annually.
"When the toolkit was first adopted in the United States by its health department, there were lots of reviews as to evidence that showed significant improvement in terms of economic, as well as collateral benefits for involving women in the economy," she noted. (PNA/PCOO News Release)
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