High Impact Five (HI-5) launches in Bicol to achieve MDGs

           The Department of Health – Regional Office V joined the rest of the DOH regional offices in launching the Kalusugang Pangkalahatan High Impact Five (HI-5) through a motorcade, summit and health caravan on June 10, 2015 at the Albay Astrodome in Legazpi City.

          More than 500 participants coming from the local government units, non-government organizations, government stakeholders, hospital officials, community health workers, media partners and various groups were in attendance.

          Hi-5 Summit serves as the starting ground in intensifying the implementation of five major health programs of the DOH that aims to achieve various elements of MDG 4, (reduction of child mortality), MDG 5 (improve maternal health), and MDG 6 (combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases). The HI-5 also includes the enhancement of the Service Delivery Network (SDN).

          This activity advocates for HI -5 implementation at the regional, provincial, and city/ municipal levels. The Summit includes an orientation-lecture on the KP Roadmap and the HI-5 interventions, presentation of the Regional HI-5 implementation plan, open forum, media briefing and signing of Pledge of Commitment. The caravan, on the other hand, provided health information by giving away information and education materials and supplies such as Family Planning commodities to participants.

          DOH-ROV Assistant Regional Director Napoleon L. Arevalo discussed the KP Roadmap, accomplishments of the region and plans to improve critical health programs such as holding of Buntis and Adolescent Congresses, tracking of immunization defaulters and pregnant women, profiling of families and matching them to the SDN and provision of 2 mobile dental clinics per province and barangay health stations in schools among others before June 2016. Dr. Arevalo also revealed that HI-5 will prioritize the provinces of Camarines Sur, Masbate and Catanduanes and identified municipalities in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte and Sorsogon.

          DOH-ROV Director Emilia P. Monicimpo explained that the High Impact 5 Program of DOH plans to fast track the provision of improved access to health care services and ensure that these services will be utilized and enjoyed especially by those who belong under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) and those who live in far flung communities.

          With this intensified implementation of health programs, Mr. Edgar Estevez, barangay health worker (BHW) regional president pledged that the BHWs will exert more effort and dedication in support of the HI-5 Breakthrough Strategies. Continuous partnership and support to DOH was also assured by Ms. Ma. Theresa Alvarez, Regional Cluster Adviser of Luzon Health and Dr. James Apin of President of Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines (AMHOP).

          Partner agencies such as DILG and DSWD through the ARD and RD respectively showed their support by expressing their acceptance to their role in the implementation of HI-5, giving encouragement to the DOH and challenging the participants to do their share in the achievement of the KP goals.

             High Impact 5 is a systematized strategic approach of the DOH that aims to produce the greatest improvement in health outcomes and the highest impact on the priority, vulnerable population within the next 12 months. Tangible outputs are expected to be ‘felt’ within said timeframe through a nationwide synchronized implementation of activities.