The Mandaluyong City local government and its City Health Department (CHD) on Wednesday, March 6, were recognized for their excellent performance in the implementation of the Department of Health's (DOH) National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP).
(Photo from Mandaluyong LGU)
During its Health Leadership and Governance for National Tuberculosis Control Program in Metro Manila, the DOH lauded the city government for achieving the highest accomplishment for the indicator TB Preventive Treatment during the implementation of National Tuberculosis Program Catch-Up Plan (2022-2023), and for achieving the target for the following indicators during the implementation of National Tuberculosis Program Catch-Up Plan (2022-2023):
1. Screened by Chest Xray
2. TB Notification All Forms
3. Case Notification Rate
4. Treatment Success Rate
5. Treatment Coverage Rate
Created in 1978, the NTP is one of the public health programs managed and coordinated by the Infectious Diseases for Prevention and Control Division (IDPCD) of DOH's Disease Prevention and Control Bureau (DPCB).
According to the DOH, NTP has the following mandates:
1. Develop policies, standards, and national strategic plan
2. Manage program logistics
3. Provide leadership and technical assistance to the lower health offices/units
4. Manage data and use the information to inform programmatic activities
5. Conduct monitoring and evaluation
The NTP’s TB diagnostic and treatment protocols and strategies, issued through its Manual of Procedures, are based on the policies of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Standards for TB Care (ISTC).
"The 17 Centers for Health Development (CHD), through its regional NTP teams, manage the TB program at the regional level while the PHOs and city health offices (CHOs), through its provincial/city teams, are responsible for the TB control efforts in the provinces and cities," the DOH said.
"TB diagnostic and treatment services are part of the basic integrated health services which are provided by DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course, current means of delivery of treatment Services) facilities which could either be the public health facilities, such as the RHUs, health centers, hospitals; other public health facilities, such as school clinics, military hospitals, prison/jail clinics; NTP-engaged private facilities, such as the private clinics, private hospitals, private laboratories, drugstores, and others. Community groups, such as the community health teams and barangay health workers, participate in community-level activities," it added.
The Health Department explained that the NTP closely works with the 17 government offices and private organizations in compliance with the Comprehensive and Unified Policy (CUP) issued by the Office of the President in 2003.
Under the framework of public-private mix (PPM) collaboration in TB-DOTS, NTP collaborates with nongovernmental organizations, such as the Philippine Coalition Against TB (PhilCAT), the Philippine TB Society, Inc. (PTSI), and many others.
"Various developmental partners and their projects provide technical and financial support to NTP, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Global Fund Against AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund), Research Institute of TB/Japan Anti-TB Association (RIT/JATA), Korean Foundation for International Health (KOFIH) and Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation," it noted.