MFI’s HEALTH Plus Project joins NPF and NCIP in Coordination Meeting with DOH-XII in Cotabato City

On January 31, 2018, Mahintana Foundation, Inc. joins National Pharmaceutical Foundation (NPF), HEALTH Plus mother franchisor, and National Commission on Indigenous People in a Coordination meeting with DOH-XII representatives. NPF CEO Ms. Teofila Remotigue explained the rationale of the meeting, which are to do courtesy call, discuss gaps and challenges in the delivery of health services to the IPs and how well the DOH effectively respond to their needs and gather data on the IPs served by DOH. Ms. Kathy Cino, Development Management Officer III and GIDA-IP Coordinator, initially explained that DOH aims to have 100% enrollment of indigents to PHIC, but currently the data says that the enrollment is only 92%. She added that the 8% variance might have come from the IP community.

To address this concern, Dra. Shonee Anden, BOT member of NPF, suggested to conduct profiling of the IPs in order to accurately identify the need of the IPs and propose for a project addressing to those need. Dra. Regine Pader, Family Health Cluster Head, informed the group that the DOH National is formulating a profiling tool specific for IPs and is already on the review phase. Ms. Margie S. Managuit, MFI HEALTH Plus Project Manager, recommended for MFI to provide technical assistance in the development of paperless profiling tool using the Open Data Kit (ODK) and the training for the enumerators. In addition, Mr. Earl Granado, RPh, DOH-NCPAM Coordinator, informed the body that DOH will revive the Botika ng Barangays under the “Abot Kamay Botika ng Bayan” and timeline on its implementation is on the 3^rd quarter of this year. Accordingly the essential drugs and medicines will be forwarded to RHUs, lodged in the Barangay Health Stations all over country and distributed to indigent clients for free.

Ms. Managuit and Dra. Anden recommended for the agency to look into the sustainability of the program, knowing that the drugs and medicines are given for free and develop guidelines for distribution to ensure that the essential drugs and medicines will reach the underprivileged clients.

Some of the key agreements during the meeting are for NCIP to develop criteria for selection of 5 sample sites and forward the list of sites selected to NPF, NPF, in coordination with MFI, to develop the concept paper for submission to DOH for possible funding, DOH-XII to email the profiling tool developed by DOH-National. At the end of the meeting, NCIP Commissioner Era Espana expressed her gratitude to DOH, NPF and MFI for the assistance in pursuing a program that will benefit the IPs. DOH, NPF and MFI also expressed their gratefulness to be given an opportunity to be of assistance to the IP community.

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