The Visayas Primary Healthcare Services, (VPHCS) Inc. has started to implement a new project (https://vphcs.org/building-community-based-health-programs-in-north-cebu/) this July to develop community-based programs (CBHPs) in three barangays in north Cebu that were affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
With the support of the LandsAid, a German humanitarian aid organization, the 18- months project aims to provide health skills trainings and services to community health workers and residents in barangays Dalingding Norte and Paypay in Daanbantayan and Tindog in Medellin.
The project works closely with the people’s organizations in the communities, namely, the Nakahiusang Kababayen-an sa Sitio Mayjo (United Women in Sitio Mayjo, Paypay), Nagkahiusang Lumolupyo sa Hacienda Gomez (United Residents in Hacienda Gomez, Sitio Gomez, Dalingding Norte, and the Nagkahiusang Lumolopyo sa Sitio Manan-aw (United Residents in Sitio Manan-aw) in Tindog, Medellin.
Meetings with the members of the three organizations have been conducted in order to discuss the project and map out its activities. The leaders and members expressed their enthusiasm and willingness to actively support and participate in the activities. They welcomed the project saying that they badly need health services considering the far distance of their barangays from the municipalities rural health units.
The first level of basic health skills trainings has also been conducted this August for community health workers in Dalingding Norte. The five-day training equipped them with knowledge and skills on basic preventive and promotive health care, such as use of basic home remedies, taking vital signs including blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate and temperature, treating children with acute respiratory tract infections and diarrheal diseases, proper hygiene and environmental sanitation, herbal medicine, acupressure and ventusa. Similar trainings shall be held this September for the community health workers in Tindog and Paypay.
With the skills that they acquired, and with the guidance of the project staff, the CHWs shall be able to render health services to the residents in their neighbourhoods. The project shall also conduct community health educations on the control and prevention of common health problems. It is expected that with community health awareness, health programs such as nutrition, herbal gardens, environmental sanitation, hypertension control and family planning can be established in the coming months.
