DOH gives basic health equipments to Eastern Visayas villages

PALO, Leyte, March 23 (PNA) -– The Department of Health has distributed 889 packages of basic health equipments to all rural health units, urban health centers and village health stations in Eastern Visayas.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Health Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin led the distribution of TSeKaP (Tamang Serbisyo para sa Kalusugan ng Pamilya) equipment package in Maasin City (for Southern Leyte), 

Palo in Leyte (for Biliran and Leyte provinces, and Catbalogan City (for Samar province).

The DOH regional office distributed on Tuesday the package to recipients in Northern Samar and Eastern Samar provinces. Health officials directly turnover the essential equipments to concerned city, town and village officials to make sure those packages will benefit target users. 

Each package contains two non-contact thermometers, stethoscope, digital blood pressure apparatus, glucometer set for measurement of blood sugar, one dressing set for sterile wound care, and two nebulizers for asthma relief.

“The TSeKaP package might be a small thing, but good governance, accountability and political will of this administration meets the core of moving forward where needs of the poor has been addressed,” Garin said.

Majority of packages are intended for village health stations, where communities are far from hospitals and rural health units. Each village health stations serve three to five villages.

“The package has been in the health insurance package, but utilization is low. We provide equipment since there are trainings, people, and health insurance packages, but many people people don’t avail because of the absence of equipments. This initiative will make universal healthcare attainable and sustainable,”

Testing kits for blood pressure and sugar level will guide the national government on where to allocate maintenance medicines for hypertensive and diabetic patients.

All patients found to be hypertensive and diabetic will be registered in the rural health unit hypertensive/diabetic patient registry.

Patients are examined by the local health officer and started on the first line anti-hypertensive medicine for hypertension and first line anti-diabetic medicine. (PNA)
FFC/SARWELL Q. MENIANO