The Department of Health Bicol Center for Health Development (DOH Bicol) and the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center (BRHMC) has set out its commitment of ending AIDS-related deaths by 2030 through intensified prevention and treatment measures and the integration of non-discriminatory policies, especially to at-risk populations.
This pledge comes in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2030 global agenda of eliminating AIDS as a public health threat.
During the BRHMC’s commemoration of this year’s World AIDS Day on Thursday, Chief of Medical Professional Staff II, Dr. Anna Lynda T. Bellen emphasized that transforming the AIDS response means strengthening community-led systems, embracing differentiated care, and integrating human-centered approaches.
BRHMC is one of the DOH-designated treatment hubs in the region who offers free screening and diagnostic services, antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, maintenance medicines, opportunistic infection drugs, and mental health consultations.
The DOH Bicol has made investing in a sustainable, transformative HIV response, the core of its strategy to overcoming the persistent stigma and systemic inequalities that currently impede improved patient outcomes.
This commitment was underscored by Mr. Samuel David Banico, DOH Bicol Regional Program Manager for the HIV, AIDS, and STI Prevention and Control Program, where he also underscored the urgent call to significantly ramp up HIV testing, early diagnosis, and treatment to achieve better patient prognosis across the region.
Mr. Banico added that in the 2022 Integrated HIV/AIDS Behavioral and Serological Survey (IHBSS), only 37% of Filipino respondents have correct knowledge on HIV and AIDS, which amplifies discrimination, thereby hampering People Living with HIV’s (PLHIV) access to essential care and support services.
Representatives from different sectors, stakeholders, and health facilities were also present to pledge their support in advancing improved community health outcomes, ensuring that HIV and AIDS service delivery remains human rights-centered, gender-sensitive, and age appropriate.
Source: DOH Bicol CHD