BONTOC, Mountain Province – Mountain Province recently received 13 different awards during the Harmonized Gawad Kalusugan Regional Awarding Ceremonies held in Baguio City.
The Gawad Kalusugan is given by the Department of Health (DOH) to local government units (LGUs), government hospitals, and health workers nationwide for their efforts in strengthening health systems to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of basic health services and enable a more equitable distribution of national health programs.
Mountain Province Provincial Health Board (PHB) is a Local Health Systems Awardee for good governance, and received P20, 000.00 and a Plaque of Recognition.
Being always in the frontline in the delivery of quality health care to the barangays, Mountain Province Association of Barangay Health Workers was cited for its performance based incentives and received P500, 000.00 and kits.
Six barangays in the province were also lauded for their Best Sanitation Practices. Barangay Banao of Bauko landed in second place while Barangay Masla of Tadian ranked in fourth place, out betting other barangays in the Cordillera region.
Barangay Banao received P100, 000.00 and a Plaque of Recognition and Barangay Masla was given P50, 000.00 and a Plaque of Recognition. Barangays Namatec of Sabangan; and Padangaan, Kin-iway, and Besao West, all of Besao were rewarded with P25, 625.00 each and Plaque of Recognitions.
The Mountain Province Schools Division Office (MPSDO) was lauded for a Sustained High Coverage on National School Deworming, thus, given P40, 000.00 and a Plaque of Recognition.
Besao Rural Health Unit (RHU) and Paracelis RHU were recognized for their excellent epidemiology surveillance units; and were provided with Light Emitting Diode (LED) TV and Plaque of Recognitions.
The municipality of Bauko was awarded for best local initiatives towards leprosy-free municipalities while Sadanga RHU and Natonin Community Hospital were best performers with Functional Mobile New Born Screening Facility.
The Provincial Capitol of Mountain Province, Provincial Health Office, Bontoc General Hospital, Bauko LGU, and Sabangan Municipal Police Station were lauded for their intensive campaign and programs in the attainment of 100% Smoke Free Environment.
Bauko RHU and Paracelis RHU were accorded with the Purple Award for their efforts on Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning. They received Plaque of Recognition plus P30, 000.00 and P15, 000.00, respectively.
The Sabangan Bauko and Tadian (SABATA) Og-ogbo Inter Local Health Zone (ILHZ) received P75, 000.00 and a Plaque of Recognition after it was recognized as a Functional ILHZ.
Bauko RHU and Tadian RHU both received a Plaque of Recognition and a token for being the Best Performing TB –DOTS Facility while St. Theodore’s Hospital and Natonin Community Hospital were Best Performing New Born Screening Facility.
On the individual category, Dr. Penelope A. Domogo, the Assistant Provincial Health Officer of the Provincial Health Office – Mountain Province was recognized for her advocacy on Healthy Lifestyle. She was rewarded with a Plaque of Recognition and a token.
Relative to the numerous awards received by the province, Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. lauded the health sector for providing utmost quality health care to the public.
Lacwasan who was once a punong barangay attested that health and social services has always been given attention even by barangay officials. Thus, with this, he thanked those in the health services for their continuous cooperation and support to all the programs of the provincial government and their partner stakeholders in the delivery of quality health care to the constituents of the province.
By Alpine L. Killa
