After the momentous celebration of the Pista ng Kalusugan in April 2023, the Department of Health (DOH) set off to bring the festive promotion of healthy lifestyle across all regions in the country with Biyaheng Kalusugan, a nationwide initiative celebrating different health events through engaging and entertaining health education activities.
Biyaheng Kalusugan is part of the Healthy Pilipinas campaign’s effort to improve the health literacy of Filipinos and enable them to practice the Seven (7) Healthy Habits namely: (1) Move more, eat right, (2) Be clean, live sustainably, (3) Get vaccinated, (4) Don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, say no to drugs, (5) Care for yourself, care for others, (6), Practice safe sex, and (7) Do no harm, put safety first.
The initiative launched in April to mark the nationwide kick-off of Chikiting Ligtas, the official campaign handle for the Measles-Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccines Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-OPV SIA).
Chikiting Ligtas was a month-long vaccination drive to protect children from measles, rubella, and polio. Three locations were visited by the caravan – San Juan City (NCR), Mindoro (MIMAROPA), and Ormoc City (Eastern Visayas) – where educational talks, games, entertainment, and free snacks and loot bags were provided to children and their parents while receiving free vaccines.
For the month of June, Biyaheng Kalusugan headed to Zamboanga City to launch No Smoking Month, drumming up the campaign against smoking and vaping among the adolescent and young adult population in the region. At the core of this initiative is promoting the many enjoyable ways of self-expression and self-nourishment while being safe and substance-free. This was part of the larger campaign for substance use prevention.
The campaign transformed the Zamboanga City Coliseum into a safe and welcoming No SAD (Sigarilyo, Alak, Droga) Park, where attendees can begin or continue their journey towards a healthy, bisyo-free lifestyle. This space encouraged participants to join GLAD (Galing, Laro, Aliw, Dighay) activities that included games, music, food, and brief counseling for smoking cessation and tobacco use prevention.
This activity was made possible by the leadership of the Center for Health Development Zamboanga Peninsula (CHD IX), Zamboanga City LGU and Zamboanga City Health Office, the Department of Education Region IX and Schools Division Office of Zamboanga City, the Lung Center of Philippines DOH Quitline, Vital Strategies, and SmokeFree Philippines.
The DOH has already released its Biyaheng Kalusugan calendar for the rest of the year – Nutrition Month in Ilocos and Central Luzon in July, Family Planning in MOH – BARMM and Northern Mindanao in August, World Environmental Health Day in Western Visayas in September, Mental Health Month in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Bicol in October, World Toilet Day in Central Visayas, Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week in Davao and Caraga in November, and World AIDS Day in Calabarzon, and Ligtas Christmas in SOCCSKSARGEN in December.
“Malaking bahagi ng ating Eight-point action agenda ang pagtutok sa pag-iwas sa sakit at nais nating palawigin ang kaalaman tungkol dito sa pamamagitan ng Biyaheng Kalusugan. We will ensure that the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act is felt by every Filipino anywhere across the country. Sa pamamagitan ng Biyaheng Kalusugan, ating sinisiguro ang Healthy Pilipinas dahil bawat buhay, mahalaga!” said Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa.
To learn more about the 7 Healthy Habits, Biyaheng Kalusugan, and other upcoming Healthy Pilipinas initiatives, visit healthypilipinas.ph. To get a glimpse of the No SAD campaign in Zamboanga City, head on to this link: bit.ly/DOHBiyahengKalusugan. By DOH-CAR
