Dumaguete City’s campaign against smoking, encapsulated with the slogan “Sigarilyo Mo, Kalbaryo Ko,” has been recognized anew by the Department of Health Region 7 as one of the good practices in Central Visayas during the 2023 Public Health Summit.
City Health Officer Maria Sarah B. Talla, representing Mayor Felipe Antonio B. Remollo, DOH-Negros Oriental Development Management Officer V Jennifer C. Remollo, and Smoke-free Focal Person Hanalyn Bongcales accepted the award on behalf of Dumaguete City Government.
Talla also shared the strategies and programs by the City Health Office in partnership with other stakeholders to enforce the local smoke-free ordinance and influence the youth to avoid the habit.
Meanwhile, DOH-7 also recognized the City of Dumaguete as the Top 4 LGU (High Population Category) with the highest coverage of the 2023 Measles, Rubella, and bivalent Oral Polio Virus Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-bOPV SIA) Campaign.
DOH Region 7 Director Jaime S. Bernadas lauded Dumaguete City for the achievements that reflect the unwavering commitment toward health excellence and progressive realization of Universal Health Care.
Finally, Dumaguete’s Smoke-Free campaign received a P50,000 grant from the Department of Health to boost the task of minimizing the ill effects of smoking.