‘Responsive health care programs for Aklanons’ - Miraflores

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores lauded the Provincial Leadership and Governance Program (PLGP) and the Department of Health (DoH) for transforming a responsive provincial health delivery system in Aklan.

PHOTO AKLAN FORUM JOURNAL

Miraflores said the province continues to focus on health care and intervention programs through pipeline strategies with the poor as priority.

“The direction is to help integrate the health system in the province, to improve the services of peripheral hospitals, birthing clinics and the rural health units. We hope to establish a provincial health service network, for our indigents to benefit from these reforms,” he added.

Before the start of PLGP, Aklan has no blood bank facility, no balance billing (NBB) performance is low and has weak financial system to support the hospitals.

Miraflores also noted the irregular mass blood donation immobilization, provision for quality primary health care is not optimal and only seven Rural Health Units (RHUs) are Maternity Care Package (MCP) accredited.

Aklan also has high maternal deaths and teenage pregnancies and cases of vehicular accidents, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and animal bites cases are increasing.

To address the critical and preventive care, the province of Aklan established a competent core group composed of provincial department heads, provincial health personnel, hospital and municipal health leaders to reassess the direction of health delivery system.

“After the interventions, all hospitals are now licensed with DOH, huge investments were poured into our hospitals, with manpower, infrastructure and personnel necessary to upgrade the hospitals,” the governor stressed.

Miraflores said the province expanded the consignment system for medicines for peripheral hospitals to ensure the systems are in place.

The province also established the first blood bank in Aklan to address the need for blood and to reduce maternal deaths.

Among the major hospital infrastructure developments in Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital, now a Level 2 hospital facility, are the construction of new two-storey building, expansion of out-patient department (OPD) and construction of dialysis center.

IT personnel in all hospitals were also hired to manage the hospital billing system as well as the PhilHealth e-claim system. The accounting team also provided technical assistance to help in improving the finances of the hospitals.

The governor said they also partnered with Makati Medical Center Foundation for capacity building and consultancy services, staff competency and management and process interventions of hospital operations.

Hospitals in Boracay and Libacao are also upgraded from OPD to infirmary and two hospitals – Altavas and Madalag – attained 100 percent in ‘no balance billing’ performance.