The Department of Health (DOH) Ilocos Region today announced that two local government units (LGU) in the provinces of Pangasinan and Ilocos Norte has submitted their entries for the first ever “Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Healthy Communities 2022”.
Among the LGUs who joined the prestigious competition were Bayambang Rural Heath Unit and the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte.
The initiative gives recognition to model healthcare programs of local government units and to serve as the foundation health department’s “Health Promotion Framework Strategy”.
“We have to give due recognition and acknowledge the efforts of our LGUs because they are at the forefront of implementing our health programs and directly providing health services to the communities”, Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco stated.
“This time of pandemic, they have proven that through their management and leadership, they are able to resolve and prioritize the protection and health needs of the people. Napakalaki ng tulong na naibigay ng ating mga LGUs upang mapababa ang mga kaso ng Covid-19 hindi lamang sa ating rehiyon kundi sa ating bansa.”
The first-ever Healthy Pilipinas Awards is to provide due recognition to LGUs for their exemplary efforts in the promotion of health programs and COVID-19 response.
According to Sydiongco, there are eight (8) key areas of include Nutrition & Physical Activity, Environmental Health, Immunization Substance Use, Mental Health, Sexual & Reproductive Health, Violence & Injury Prevention and COVID-19 Response. All eight priority areas work towards promoting a Healthy Pilipinas (7) priority areas of the “Healthy Pilipinas Awards” namely environment health, nutrition and physical activity, substance abuse and COVID-19 prevention: minimum public health standards.
There are five (5) entries from each category that will be recognized based on a set of criteria set by the DOH. These are People’s Choice (20%), Partner’s Choice (30%), and Health Promotion Scorecard (50%). The Health Promotion Scorecard will be measured on the project’s relevance, innovativeness, adaptability, impact, and scalability.
The project description, which is a part of the submission requirements, will stand for 25% of the total score. Additionally, another 25% of the total score will come from the Self-Assessment form that the participants themselves will fill out.
Sydiongco added that rhe winners will receive a trophy from the DOH and its partners, namely USAID ReachHealth, USAID BreakthroughAction, USAID RenewHealth, UNICEF, ImagineLaw, AHA Behavioral Design, MentalHealthPH, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI), and RedScope Communications, Inc.
The recognition ceremony will be on March 4, 2022.
The “Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Healthy Communities” was developed through Republic Act (RA) No. 11223 also known as the “Universal Health Care Act,” which served as the basis for health promotion policies, plans and programs.“Leadership and governance in health is important at all levels to ensure that resources devoted to the health sector will be distributed adequately for the improvement of health care services that will benefit the people in the communities,” Sydiongco emphasized.
