The Department of Health – Health Promotion Bureau, in coordination with the DOH Bicol CHD, Provincial DOH Office of Catanduanes (PDOHO Catanduanes), and the Department of Education Regional Office V (DepEd RO-V), recently visited partner health offices in the Province of Catanduanes as part of the launching of the Health Promotion Bisita (HPBisita), held June 24-26, 2025.
The 3-day activity served to monitor and evaluate existing best practices of the province’s health offices in the implementation of its programs and health promotion initiatives. Among those benchmarked were the Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Catanduanes, as well as the Rural Health Units (RHU) of Caramoran and Pandan.
The HPBisita administered round-table discussions to tackle health gaps among local implementers with the involvement of the Municipal and Barangay Local Government Units, and Barangay Health Workers (BHW).
The findings underscored prevalence of teenage pregnancy, increased cases of diarrhea linked to insufficient individual toilet facilities and limited access to safe drinking water, and the need to improve both referral systems as well as HIV screening services.
During the feedback conference, Dr. Hazel A. Palmes, Provincial Health Officer II of Catanduanes, stated that the PHO is actively developing its strategies to improve health outcomes in the community.
The PHO Catanduanes is committed to work promptly in outlining targeted measures in response to the identified findings, added Dr. Palmes.
At its core, the result of the assessment is intended to provide a clearer roadmap for public health campaigns in the province, especially at the grassroot level and ensure that efforts harmonize with the Health Promotion Implementation Strategies: (1) Healthy Governance; (2) Healthy Settings; and (3) Health Literacy.
The data and insights gained from the HPBisita shall contribute to the quality enhancement of the Department’s interventions, intersectoral policies, standards, and social and behavioral change communication efforts.
Source: DOH Bicol CHD