In a bid to improve the health status of Filipino families, especially in Region 02, the Regional Development Council 2 (RDC2) expressed support to the “Family Health Improved” project of the Department of Health (DOH) through a resolution which the Council endorsed during its joint meeting with its Advisory Committee on October 13, 2014 at Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

The project is a component of the Development Objective Agreement (DOAg) made by the government with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in September 2012. The DOAg aims to improve family health by increasing access and availability of quality health services, adoption of healthy behaviours, and strengthening and improving local policies and health systems.

During the meeting, Mr. Marcelo Dumlao of the DOH reported that the purpose of the DOAg is to provide support to enable the government to achieve Universal Health Care or Kalusugan Pangkalahatan, specifically focusing on activities in the areas of maternal and child health, family planning, and tuberculosis (TB).

Mr. Dumlao added that for Region 02, Cagayan and Isabela are the two identified project areas primarily due to their big populations and their low performance in achieving some Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). To cite, the MDG 2013 rate of detection of TB cases is at 71% for Cagayan and 67% for Isabela, which are below the national target rate of 85%. Intervention through the “Family Health Improved” project is, therefore, needed to improve the performance of these two provinces in terms of detection of TB cases.

The DOAg was already approved for implementation by the NEDA Board, however, an endorsement from the RDCs across the nation was required by President Benigno S. Aquino III, the chair of the NEDA Board.

For Region 02, the RDC2 has signed the required endorsement during the joint meeting in October. The project is expected to run until September 2017 under a grant financing modality in the identified provincial project sites.#