MANILA, Philippines — Just a day shy of its 124th founding anniversary, the Department of Health (DOH) celebrated yet another milestone as it passed the fourth and final stage of the Performance Governance System (PGS) last June 22.
The DOH was conferred the Institutionalized status and secured the Gold Trailblazer Award, the highest PGS recognition from the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), during their virtual public revalida.
The Online Revalida is a virtual platform under ISA's Public Governance Forum where institutions can showcase their progress and milestones in the PGS pathway, offering a closer look at how each public institution demonstrates competency in delivering premium and reliable service to the public.
In his opening message, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III addressed the multi-sector panel, led by the panel chair Rex Drilon II, and shared how this milestone brought DOH's commitment to making the Filipino people among the healthiest in the region closer to reality.
"We, in general, and in particular, the incoming administration, will continue to effectively lead the health sector towards achieving the promises of Universal Health Care for every Juan and Juana to have access to timely and quality health care without suffering from financial hardship," Duque said.
DOH Undersecretary Mario Villaverde presented DOH's story of transformation since embarking on its PGS journey in 2009, underscoring the health agency's efforts in intensifying health promotion, strengthening health emergency responses, and streamlining procurement and chain management systems for vaccines, among others.
Among the noteworthy improvements in health services include the launch of the "BIDA Solusyon Plus sa COVID-19," which aims to mitigate virus transmission in homes, communities, and institutions; the creation of the One Hospital Command Center to improve patient navigation; and its action in vaccine delivery, which has resulted to more than 70 million fully-vaccinated individuals from March 2021 to June 2022.
In his acceptance speech, Duque dedicated their success to the frontliners in the pandemic response and the men and women of DOH.
"[We thank] all our health care and entire frontline workers for their fortitude and unwavering service. And we dedicate this, we honor, [and] give due recognition to all our health care workers who have been at the front and center in all of our pandemic response," he said. "This is a tribute that is to be shared to the entire department, all of its attached agencies, all for the centers of health development, and every public health care worker, including the local government units."