GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/15 April) — In a bid to strengthen the city’s public health delivery system, a city councilor is pushing for the establishment of eight rural health districts or zones in the area.
City Councilor Rosalita Nunez, chair of the council’s committee on health and sanitation, said Wednesday such move will ensure more focus in the implementation of the city government’s health programs and the proper delivery of public health services.
She said it will also enhance the operations of the barangay health centers within the city’s 26 barangays.
The official said the creation of the health districts will mainly rationalize the city’s health delivery system.
“It will boost the city’s strategy to organize its field health resources in a system that will facilitate the delivery of complete continuum of health care services through the rural health units (RHU) and health centers in the barangays,” she said.
In a proposed ordinance, Nunez said each health district should be served by one to two RHUs, depending on the population of its covered barangays.
District 1 will be composed of Barangays Tinagacan, Batomelong, Katangawan and Upper Labay and will be served by the existing RHU in Tinagacan while District 2 will cover Lagao, Baluan, Buayan and Ligaya, and will have two RHUs.
District 3 will comprise Barangays San Isidro, City Heights, Conel, Olimpog, and Mabuhay while District 4 will cover Barangays Bula, West, North, East and South. Both districts will have two RHUs each.
Districts 5 and 6 will be composed of Barangays Labangal and Calumpang, respectively, and will have on one RHU each.
District 7 will be composed of Barangays Apopong and Sinawal while District 8 will cover Barangays Tambler, Bawing, Fatima and San Jose. The two districts will be served by three RHUs.
Based on the accreditation and licensing guidelines set by the Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Nunez said each RHU should have a functional birthing facility and manned by a doctor, dentist, nurse, medical technologist and other necessary personnel.
She said the operations of the RHUs will be funded and supervised by the local government, through the city health office.
“The RHUs are mandated to deliver a complete range of health care as well as the administrative support services,” she noted.
Nunez added that the city hospital will serve as the main referral hospital of the RHUs. (MindaNews)
