Newly designated Undersecretary for the Universal Health Care – Health Services Cluster for Northern and Central Luzon (UHC-HSC Area I) Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire, together with Ilocos Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco, recently conducted health facility visits in various Region I DOH hospitals to ensure that quality medical services are not only available but also accessible to patients in the Ilocos Region as directed by the priorities set by the Secretary of Health.
Among the facilities visited were the Ilocos Sur Medical Center, Regional Blood Center, and the Ilocos Training and Medical Center last January 23, 2024. The Undersecretary also visited the Conrado F. Estrella Regional Trauma and Medical Center and inspected its ongoing construction on February 5, 2024.
“We have to highlight the initiatives on the ground that could facilitate the delivery of Universal Health Care including the need to ensure adequate and responsive human resources, improvement of programs and strategies to sustain the quality of healthcare, as well as the establishment of ambulatory care services,” Usec Vergeire stated during the meeting with medical center chiefs.
“Patient safety is important because it improves health outcomes and the provision of safe and quality health service that is responsive to the needs of patients helps achieve our goal of Universal Health Care,” she emphasized.
Vergeire advocated for health equity — ensuring that vulnerable populations such as the indigenous communities and persons deprived of liberties are included in the discussions and planning of health programs in the area cluster.
Other health priorities of the DOH this year include increasing the immunization coverage of children under five years old to 95%; lowering of stunting or under-nutrition rates among young children (from the current 27% to 14%); reducing maternal mortality deaths and teenage pregnancy; lowering cases of tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus infections; and decreasing the cases of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.
Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco, on the other hand, encouraged hospital chiefs to include vaccination of target recipients in their program of activities.
“This will complement the immunization activities to be rendered by the local government units enabling us to meet the national immunization targets, particularly in the Pangasinan province, which has the highest population in the region. Let us all work together in prioritizing our goals and focusing on achieving the delivery of health care to all,” Sydiongco emphasized. DOH Ilocos Region PR
