Non-communicable unit staff of the DOH-Ilocos Region conducts health risk assessment to personnel of the Office of Civil Defense – Regional Office 1 to during the latter’s wellness program held on February 14, 2024
AS part of the Heart Month celebration, the Department of Health – Ilocos Region led by the regional non-communicable disease unit, conducted Phil PEN (Philippine Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions) during a separate health risk assessment for the employees of the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) La Union Branch and Office of Civil Defense – Regional Office 1 (OCD RO1) to assess the risk factors of employees non-communicable diseases (NCDs) last February 2 and February 14, 2024, respectively.
PhilPEN Risk Assessment is a tool used to assess the risk factors of an individual. It helps to identify the presence or absence of risk factors for the early detection, prevention, and management of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes.
Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco said that the health of public employees is of utmost importance because they are responsible for providing essential services to the community. “Taking care of the health of public employees is not only essential for their well-being but also for the overall productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of public services.”
“Moreover, they are also at risk of developing various work-related illnesses and injuries and neglecting their health and well-being will only lead to increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, and higher healthcare costs and can also compromise the quality and safety of public services,” she emphasized.
“Kaya napakaimportante na lahat ng empleyado ay magkaroon ng pagsusuri sa kanilang kalusugan upang masiguro ang kanilang kalusugan. We need to give value to our health and prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as NCDs and maintain good physical and mental well-being.”
A total of 100 personnel from Pag-Ibig Fund Office and 34 OCD employees were served using the PhilPEN risk assessment tool, with the goal of providing timely detection, management and control of NCDs.
Last year, there were 531 public personnel screened and consulted from various government agencies including the Civil Service Commission, Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor and Employment, Human Settlement Adjudication Commission, Land Tansportation Office and La Union Treatment and Rehabilitation Center.
Medical Officer IV and Non-Communicable Head Magnolia I. Brabante said that PhilPEN will be introduced to seven (7) additional government agencies this year.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2021, the top three causes of death in the country from January to December of 2022 were ischemic heart diseases, neoplasms, and cerebrovascular diseases.
In 2022, the DOH Field Health Services Information System (FHSIS) reported a total of 28.6817 newly identified hypertensive adults 20 years old and above. A total of 13,501 were male and 15,116 were female.
The province of Pangasinan leads with the highest number of affected individuals with 13,235 followed by La Union with 5,857, Ilocos Sur – 3,961, and Ilocos Norte – 1,542.
Among the cities with the highest incidence of NCDs were Dagupan with 1,013, San Fernando with 959, San Carlos – 746, Urdaneta – 377, Alaminos – 304, Laoag – 284, Candon – 174 and Vigan with 165.
The conduct of PHILPEN was done through the initiatives of the OCD’s Policy Development and Planning Section (PDPS) and the HDMF La Union Branch in coordination with the Department of Health Regional Office I.
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