TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The City Health Office continues to fully implement its immunization services and other essential health services to prevent the outbreak of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) in the locality.
This is despite the previous Enhanced Community Quarantine and the current General Community Quarantine imposed in the city.
According to the Department of Health, as early as March 25, 2020, the department issued a memorandum order “providing interim guidelines for immunization services in the context of COVID-19.”
Jonna April Gaydowen, nurse of RHU-1, said that on their part, they continued to offer immunization services even at the start of COVID-19 crisis and do so up to now.
“Tuloy-tuloy latta yun naman ang order ng DOH na dapat dagiyay regular programs tayu tuloy-tuloy latta even iti prenatal,” she said.
She added that immunization services is mostly done by midwives at barangay health centers (BHC) to avoid crowding but they sometimes conduct house visit for clients who were not able to come to the BHC for their immunization schedule.
“Since amin a midwife idiay barangay da nga agbakuna, so nu haan da ka makaruwar (clients), idiay dan mismo BHC nga agpabakuna, dagiyay haan a makaapan idiay, isu ti dandanunen da ti balbalay tapnu lang haan a ma-miss isuda,” she said.
With the ongoing General Community Quarantine, she said that most of the clients in RHU-1 are those who avail of the ultrasound and laboratory services.
Gaydowen added that they continue to enforce physical distancing and other infection and control measures such as avoiding overcrowding, wearing of face masks, and having a separate treatment areas for sick clients in all of their health units.
“Kasla kuma ditoy RHU every Wednesday ti immunization, haan met nga amin nga ubbing ket diyay ti schedule da. Adda dagiyay da following week ti schedule da. Amin a mothernaka mask pa rin, isuda lang ti mabalin a sumrek or diyay baby. Tapos dagiyay masakit, haan da a mabalin nga umuneg, they will stay outside,” she said.
By Jayson Antonio
