DAGUPAN CITY (PIA) – The Department of Health (DOH) launched the “Konsultayo Arangkada” campaign in Manaoag, Pangasinan on Friday to bring comprehensive primary care services down to the community level. 
 
DOH officer-in-charge Secretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire spearheaded the launching, where a “Konsultayo Arangkada” van,  equipped with diagnostic equipment donated by the Global Fund through the Philippine Business for Social Progress (GF-PBSP), was deployed to provide mobile primary care services to residents in the municipality.
 
The van provides comprehensive primary care services including risk assessment for diseases, screening and diagnosis of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and preventive/promotive services, such as immunization for infants, nutrition, family planning and health education and counseling. 
 
As part of the campaign, the DOH also tapped the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to facilitate registration of patients into their system.

Secretary Vergeire said the program aims to increase accessibility of healthcare services at the local level, eliminate financial risk for indigent patients in public health facilities, promote access to medicines, address social determinants of health and provide essential support to healthcare workers.
 
“We will be shifting the country’s health system from sick care to preventive health care. Our goal is to keep people well through preventive, promotive, and integrated primary healthcare service delivery systems that will detect and manage diseases early and address them immediately,” she said. 
 
She added, “Mas malusog na komunidad, mas malayo sa sakit. People centered-preventive care is the right thing to do and it will also reduce health care costs and save our health system millions which can be used in the improvement of health service services, especially at the local level.” 
 

The DOH earlier placed utmost emphasis on primary care as a critical reform pursuant to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law and institutionalized it as one of its priority initiatives under the 3rd Strategic Thrust of the new Health Sector Strategy for 2023-2028. 

Recognizing the importance of primary care, the DOH developed the “Konsultayo Arangkada” campaign to mainstream the reform and help the public understand the kind and quality of services they can expect under a primary care-focused health system.
 

DOH Ilocos regional director Paula Paz Sydiongco emphasized the importance of primary health care in the community as it is an individual’s most regular and trusted point of contact in the health system. 
 
“It is the foundation of health and wellbeing at every stage in life, capable of delivering quality essential and routine health care services and meeting the majority of people’s health needs,” she said. 
 
She added, “Dito sa Region 1, sa pakikipagtulungan ng ating mga local government unit, magtatayo po kami ng maraming primary health care facilities upang mapalakas ang pagbibigay ng paunang serbisyo at maitaguyod ang kahalagahan ng pamumuhunan sa kalusugan upang mapangalagaan ang kalusugan ating mga kababayan.”
 
“Napakaimportante po na ang bawat isa ay mabuhay ng malusog at walang inaalalang sakit sa katawan,” Sydiongco stated.
 

The “Konsultayo Arangkada” van will provide primary health care services to residents in Manaoag town until November 29, 2022. 
 
It will be turned over to the DOH regional office to visit and deliver primary care service to remote areas in the various municipalities in the Ilocos region. (JCR/AMB/PIA Pangasinan)