MAYOR GO BEEFS UP GERONA'S CAPABILITY FOR HEALTH SERVICES

In an effort to improve the quantity and quality of basic health services that the municipal government is extending to its constituents, Mayor Dennis Norman Tañedo Go has established another rural health unit (RHU) covering western barangays.

Mayor Go said the new RHU, stationed in Barangay Sulipa, would “bring health services closer to the people.”

At present, the three RHUs are staffed by 25 personnel assisted by 155 barangay health workers. Under them are 13 barangay health centers serving 44 barangays of the municipality.

The health units provide the following services: immunization and child care program, maternal care, dental care, family planning and disease control.

The mayor said the municipal government’s child care program accomplished the following:

• 2,192 children aged 9 to 11 years old were fully immunized;
• 1,967 infants were given third dose of HEPA B;
• 1,730 children aged 9 to 11 months old were given Vitamin A capsules; and
• 13,979 children aged 1 year and older were also given Vitamin A capsules.

“Under the maternal care program, we were able to give 1,122 pregnant women shots of TT2 plus,” he said.

He said the municipal government was also able to give complete iron dosage to 2,589 pregnant women and “1,613 women were initiated for breastfeeding.”

In addition, records show that the municipal health office was able to diagnose six cases of leprosy and to treat four of these cases.

The health office also reported that of the 58 cases of tuberculosis discovered through sputum examination, 31 were cured, or a success rate of more than 50 percent.

Mayor Go added that aside from the disease control and child/maternal care programs, the municipal government had continued implementing the “Operation Summer Cut” project, under which 1,212 male children were circumcised for free.