DOH-7, Cebu City government set aside P26.5 million to fight TB

CEBU, Philippines —  The Department of Health-Central Visayas Center for Health Development and the Cebu City government have jointly committed to provide P26.5 million in funds as they intensify the management and control of tuberculosis with the help of the United States Agency for International Development.

The pooled resources are intended for the campaign dubbed as “Pangitaa ang TB” (Find TB).

Under this program, DOH-7 and the Cebu City Health Department will conduct TB screening activities to find and start on treatment of over 900 persons with TB starting this month up to September 2021.

DOH-7 said that USAID pledged over P12 million to support the TB control program in Region 7 and Cebu City.

DOH-7 and Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella recently signed an agreement to launch a Citywide TB Elimination Campaign (CiTEC) and demonstrate how a local TB care program can be a portal to Universal Health Care (UHC).

“To get other essential health programs back on track, we will start with tuberculosis control to ensure that we are able to address TB as a public health priority,” said Labella.

 A free chest X-ray will be offered to residents aged 15 and older in Barangay Mambaling, one of the most populous communities in the city.

Community health workers and parent leaders of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)  will visit households and screen residents in barangay Pasil who may present symptoms and risk factors of TB and refer them to primary care providers for free TB treatment.

 At the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, clients and their companions will also be screened for TB and offered free chest X-ray services as part of the hospital’s cough surveillance initiative.

 Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), USAID’s local medical teams in mobile chest X-ray vans will be able to determine if clients are presumptive of TB in as fast as five minutes.

DOH-7 said that a partnership with the University of Cebu will also see the deployment of medical students as treatment partners to help those with TB complete their treatment regimen.

DOH-7 Director Jaime Bernadas, at the online launch of the CiTEC, said that these are systemic efforts to continue TB services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 In 2020, DOH noted a 35% decrease in the number of TB cases notified to DOH nationwide. In Central Visayas, new and relapse TB cases dropped from 22,901 in 2019 to 15,874 in 2020.

Dr. Sharon Laurel, regional medical coordinator for the National TB Control Program (NTP), said that because of the community quarantine, many people were unable to go to health facilities for their check-up or to take anti-TB medicines.

Michelle Lang-Alli, head of USAID’s Office of Health, said that their agency, through the ProtectHealth and TB Innovations and Health Systems Strengthening Project, supports this integrated demonstration of UHC in action.

Alli said that this is a concrete example of a local government, championing the rights of its citizens to good health, through a whole-of-system approach. — JMD (FREEMAN)