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Health
in the 1990s:
The
Burden
of Infectious and Lifestyle Diseases
For
the event-filled 1990s, the major health developments
were (1) the devolution of health services in 1991,
(2) the quest for a National Health Insurance Act in
1995, and (3) the burden from infectious diseases and
lifestyle diseases.
Mission
and Vision
Beginning
the year on a positive note, the Department of Health
in 1991 concretized its vision and mission under the
administration of Health Secretary Dr. Alfredo Bengzon.
The Department of Health’s vision of "health as
a right" rather than a privilege of the few, is a
noble one. Its missions are (1) making services
available, accessible, appropriate and adequate; (2)
arousing community awareness; (3) mobilizing
resources; and (4) promoting the means to better
health. The DOH’s thrusts in the nineties showed the
attempt to fulfill these promises
Devolution
of Health Services
On
October 10, 1991, with the passing of the Local
Government Code (R.A. 7160), a major change came with
the devolution of health services. Devolution means
that the local government units will be in charge of
their own health activities, utilizing their city’s
own budget, and will look only to the national office
for guidance and advice. After much protests and
criticisms, this devolution was finally implemented in
1993.
In
1992, the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers was
established to provide many benefits to the government
healthcare workers.
State
of Nation’s Health
In
the 1990s, lifestyle diseases overtook infectious
diseases as the leading causes of mortality. Diseases
of the heart and other vascular diseases ranked number
one and two respectively while the scourge of
tuberculosis remained at number five.
Double
Burden of Disease
Many
developed countries are said to be suffering from the
double burden of diseases, which means that while
infectious diseases have not gone down yet, these
countries are now facing the burden of lifestyle
diseases.
Clearly,
the main infectious disease problem of the country is
tuberculosis. With a joint effort from the private and
government sector, the Philcat leads the fight against
tuberculosis.
The
1990s could also be seen as a boon for nutrition
programs. In 1993, the Araw ng Sangkap Pinoy (ASAP)
addressed the main nutritional problems of Filipinos.
It included the National Micronutrient Day, which is
for the prevention of micronutrient malnutrition. The
first universal Vitamin A supplementation was also
implemented during the National Immunization Day of
1993.
In
1994, the FIDEL salt project or Fortification for
Iodine Deficiency Elimination was started. In 1995,
the ASIN Law was passed and the FVRice pilot project
was also initiated. By 1996, the DOH Sangkap Pinoy
Seal was granted to products which gives adequate
amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, Iron, and Iodine. This
would ensure to the consumers the healthy nature of
these products.
On
Dec. 1, 1993, the World AIDS Day was celebrated
jointly with the Nat’l AIDS Surveillance Program. In
1996, the National AIDS/STD Prevention and Control
Program (NASPCP) began.
Dr.
Juan Flavier also initiated and continued various
health programs during his term including (1) National
Immunization Day: Oplan Alis Diseases Huling Hirit;
(2) Tubig, Kubeta, Oresol (TKO): Kontra Kolera; (3)
Target: Stop TB!; (4) Araw ng Sangkap Pinoy (ASAP);
(5) Family Planning: Kung Sila’y Mahal N’yo,
Magplano; and (6) Doctor to the Barrios Program.
The
programs for lifestyle diseases include (1) Pusong
Pinoy (Cardiovascular and lifestyle diseases) in 1993,
(2) Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (DPCP) and
(3) Preventive Nephrology Project (PNP) in 1996.
National
Health Insurance
Following
up on the Medicare Act of 1969, the National Health
Insurance Act of 1995 (R. A. 7875) is steadily being
recognized as the savior of the Filipinos’ health.
Replacing
Medicare, PhilHealth is a government national health
insurance corporation, which aims to provide quality
and affordable medical care for all Filipinos. This
government health insurance scheme enlists the
employed sectors of society and portions of the
unemployed sector.
The
lofty goal of PhilHealth is to provide universal
coverage and quality health care services within
fifteen years, which is 2010.
As
the decade ended, Health Secretary Alberto Romualdez,
Jr. launched two landmark publications in 1999: (1)
the Health Sector Reform Agenda (HSRA) and (2) the
National Objectives of Health. The first report mapped
out the DOH budget and plan for the next five years
while the second report reviewed the health problems
of the country.
With
this blueprint for health, the nineties ended on a
hopeful note unaware of the political upheavals and
the epidemics that lay around the corner.
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