BUTUAN CITY, Philippines (PIA) - An expanded ''Garantisadong Pambata'' campaign, a health program that ensures a package of health services for children, will be launched in Tubay, Agusan del Norte today.
The launch is spearheaded by the Integrated Provincial Health Office of Agusan del Norte in partnership with the Center for Health Development-Caraga Region.
According to Dr. Elizabeth Campado, Agusan del Norte provincial health officer, the expanded Garantisadong Pambata or GP will now be offered all-year-round and will include appropriate service and promotion even for school-age children.
''The expanded GP promotes a set of healthy behaviors including exclusive breastfeeding for six months, immunization among infants, Vitamin A supplementation and de-worming every six months, education on proper hand-washing, brushing of teeth regularly, proper toilet use, and keeping homes tobacco smoke-free,'' Campado said.
With the theme: ''Kalusugan ng Bata, Sigurado. Basta i-GP mo! Kahit saan, kahit kailan, kahit sino, kayang alagaan ang kalusugan ng kabataang Pilipino,'' the Department of Health (DoH) aims to make the expanded GP synonymous with healthy behaviors and practices.
''Following the behaviors stated in GP has been proven to be effective in reducing morbidity and mortality among children,'' said Campado.
The expanded GP now also involves non-traditional community outlets like day-care centers, schools, and workplaces.
The GP launch in the municipality of Tubay will also gather around 70 elementary pupils who will pledge to take responsibility through the ''Panatang Maka-GP'' while local government units (LGUs) and other agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Education (DepEd) will sign the GP declaration to show their support and cooperation to the health campaign.
The GP program, which includes Vitamin A supplementation, targets at least 95 percent of children from six months to five years old.
The Vitamin A supplementation will be integrated in DoH's combined measles-rubella supplemental immunization activity (MRSIA) this April.
The door-to-door campaign will also target municipalities under the DSWD's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a poverty reduction and social development strategy which provides Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition, and education particularly of children aged zero to 14.
Meanwhile, Tubay Vice Mayor Fidel E. Garcia said the launching of the new GP is very timely as they continue to intensify their efforts to promote health in the province as well as in the overall efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
