LGUs, gov’t should craft laws that would give benefits to barangay health workers – USAID

TACLOBAN CITY – Local government units and the government should craft ordinance and laws that will give full benefit to community health workers, barangay health workers and volunteers, nutrition health scholars to compensate their effort to help their constituents achieve better health conditions.

Although there are local governments units that had crafted ordinances that gives incentives to health workers, there is still a need for a national law to be passed to ensure that all health workers would receive benefits and incentives.

“Most of you are receiving a certain amount of incentives from the local government units but some are still doing it for free which sometimes even makes them shell-out some money from their own pocket when the patient that are under their supervision came short of money,” said Reynalda Perez from the Office of Health of the United States Agency for International Development during the Community Health Team convention held in this city.

The community health team convention was part of the Strengthening Maternal and Child Health Services in Eastern Visayas (SMACHS-EV) project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Department of Health and also supported by USAID piloted in the province of Leyte and the city of Ormoc.

Since the project was implemented three years ago, they were able to train 3,158 community health volunteers that had helped increasing awareness of women in giving birth at rural health facilities and birthing centers.

“That is why we need support from LGU and the government to create laws that will not only provide benefits not only for the community health workers but including their family,” Perez added.

Perez added that internationally, community health workers are recognized as they are instrumental in achieving the thrust of the Millennium Development Goal.

Eighteen rural health units and two hospitals in the province of Leyte and five district health centers in the city of Ormoc became the focus of the program.

The RHU are located in the municipalities of Bato, Hindang, Inopacan, Mahaplag, Javier, MacArthur, Albuera, Merida, Isabel, Dulag, Tanauan, Tolosa, Tabon-tabon, Alang-alang, Pastrana and San Miguel.
Perez added that based on the commissioned survey by their agency and conducted by the National Statistics Office it shows that Leyte province had improved in the delivery of basic services for pregnant women and infant babies.

It shows that more women had delivered their babies in rural health facilities and assisted by licensed health workers.

The survey, according to Perez, shows that from 2006 until 2011, there was an increase of 8% nationwide for mother giving birth in health facilities, but the most significant was in the provinces of Leyte and Biliran.
Comparing national data from 64% in 2006 in delivery assisted by health workers, it increased to 72% in 2011, while delivery in facility health units increased from 42% in 2006 to 55% in 2011, the province of Leyte had 21% in delivery of pregnant women assisted by health workers (from 50% in 2006 to 71% in 2011) while there was significant big increase in facility based delivery from 35% in 2006 to 56% in 2011 or a 21% increase.

But among the provinces in the region, Perez said that it was the province of Biliran which is also assisted by JICA that has the highest rate in health workers assisted delivery and facility based delivery with 92% each.