All aboard for the health caravan

MANILA, Philippines - A customized mobile health clinic called “Lakbay Buhay Kalusugan” (LBK) will be touring the country to bring health services, education, and entertainment to communities starting February.

Public and private groups forged last week a partnership for LBK. The LBK is the Department of Health’s (DOH) communication campaign model of public-private partnerships for health promotion, which it presented to an initial batch of partners from the private sector and media.

Supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the campaign will be implemented by the DOH’s National Center for Health Promotion (NCHP) throughout 2011.

“Health is for everybody. It is everybody’s business and one’s health is one’s business,” says NCHP director Dr. Asuncion Anden. “Thus, it is the objective of our partners to make health care accessible and both a shared and personal responsibility.”

Ann Hirschey, chief of USAID’s Office of Health, affirmed the United States government’s commitment to ensuring universal health care as part of its global health initiative. “We envision mothers, fathers, and children awaiting the arrival of the LBK bus in their communities, eager to avail themselves of basic health services, counseling, and information on maternal and child health, family planning, and living a healthy lifestyle in an educational and entertaining environment,” she points out.

The LBK bus — which was donated by Victory Liner through its Doña Martha T. Hernandez Foundation — will be an actual consultation clinic. It will travel in a caravan that will have stops in Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bohol, Negros Occidental, Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, South Cotabato, Zamboanga del Norte, and Maguindanao. For every stop, there will be a health fiesta featuring interactive exhibits, mini-classes, and fun activities like storytelling sessions for children, videoke, and games.

Present during the LBK partnership meeting were representatives from Victory Liner, Airfreight 2100 (Air21), OMF Literature, Inc., Dakila-Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism, Manila Broadcasting Company, UNTV, and Center for Community Journalism and Development.

Supporting the campaign are CDC Manufacturing Corp., Kwentista ng mga Tsikiting, Philippine Press Institute, and other media partners.

Hirschey says LBK offers a unique opportunity for DOH to reach out to more Filipino families and communities, and expresses hope that more partners will come on board as LBK embarks on its first trip in February in Capas, Tarlac.