Visayas Primary Health Care

The VPHCS traces its roots to two programs, the Training and Educational Assistance for Community Health (TEACH) and the Cebu Urban Poor Communities Primary Health Care Program or Operation Himsog (OH). TEACH set up community-based health programs in the rural areas of Cebu and Bohol. Operation Himsog set up CBHPs in urban areas of Cebu and Mandaue Cities.

In 1989, the VPHCS was born as a non-government institution that implemented both programs which were funded by the CEBEMO and Bread for the World until 1992. In 1997, the VPHCS started to implement a Women and Child Health Program in four municipalities of Bohol which provided health skills trainings to community health workers (CHWs) and health information, medical and dental services to farmers of the barangays. The Action Solidarite Tiers Monde (ASTM) in Luxembourg funded the project which continues until the present, covering several municipalities for the past decade.