The first Igorot lady general of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is now spearheading the implementation of the Enhanced Monitoring of Police Overall Wellness (EMPOW) which is aimed at closely monitoring the health status of law enforcers for them to be able to effectively and efficiently discharge their duties and responsibilities as peace officers.
Police Brig. Gen. Jezebel Dominguez-Medina, Acting Director of the PNP Health Service, who is a native of Mountain Province, said that the EMPOW had already been launched in the different parts of the country where law enforcers who need to take maintenance medicines will be provided with free maintenance medicines while in active service.
She disclosed that based on the overall assessment and checkup that had been conducted on the law enforcers, it was found out that the 5 common illnesses of the men and women of the PNP include hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, fatty liver and high uric acid which could be treated with the provision of maintenance medicines.
The PNP Health Service chief claimed that the men and women of the country’s police force will be subjected to a regular medical check up every 3 months to ensure the close monitoring of their health status while those who will be found to take maintenance medicines will be provided their supply of maintenance medicines which they must religiously take in for their overall health and safety.
Dominguez-Medina is also pushing for the establishment of the health service offices in the different provincial police offices to ensure that the overall wellness of the police on the ground will be appropriately monitored and whatever illness that will be discovered will be provided with the needed medication.
Dominguez-Medina is a licensed dentist where she graduated with the course Doctor of Dental medicine at the University of Baguio (UB in 1991. She also completed her Master in Management at the Philippine Christian University (PCU) in 2011.
She was able to enter the PNP through lateral entry as a dental officer in 1993 and was eventually assigned as a dental officer in the Regional Medical and Dental Unit 7.
She also served as the district chief, medical and dental unit of the Quezon City Police District and was eventually transferred to the same position at the Manila Police District.
Further, Dominguez-Medina was promoted to the regional medical and dental unit of the National Capital Region and eventually occupied the position of the regional chief of the regional medical and dental unit 3.
She is also the deputy director for operations of the PNP Health Service based at the national headquarters in Camp Crame.
According to her, the monitoring of the overall wellness of the police was implemented when she was the chief of the regional medical and dental unit of Region 3 through the so-called Oplan Tokhang Kalusugan which was later expanded to the EMPOw now that she is the Acting Director of the PNP Health Service.
She is married to Police Brig. Gen. Remus B. Medina where the couple was blessed with 4 children. She is one of the daughters of Imelda C. Dominguez and Jose S. Dominguez of Sabangan, Mountain Province.
