The Department of Health (DOH), through its Health Human Resource Development Bureau (HHRDB), recently forged a partnership with the Local Government Academy (LGA) – the institution mandated for capacity development of the local government units (LGUs) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) personnel.
The partnership aims to develop supplemental online courses to connect the health sector to the LGUs in support of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act. The 12 UHC modules developed by the Department would be integrated into the Newly Elected Official (NEO) program of the LGA.
“The HHRDB continues to develop online courses following the agreement which will be uploaded and publicized in the various learning management systems of the LGA, where all local community executives (LCEs) could access various health-related courses to improve their health governance skills,” the DOH said on Friday.
“The DOH commits to provide resource persons for orientations and learning sessions for LCEs and the rest of the members of the Local Health Board (LHB) and other LGU officials,” the agency said.
Prior to the pandemic, the DOH has already begun developing online courses uploaded at the e-learning platform (learn.gov.ph) of the DOH Academy managed by the HHRDB. The rationale and objectives of the initiatives were succinctly expressed as ‘Education for Health Workers, Anytime, Anywhere.” Moreover, with the realization of the UHC
Act, more online courses are being crafted for LGU and DILG personnel.
As stated in the UHC Law and RA No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code, the DOH, DILG along with PhilHealth and the LGUs should facilitate the integration of Province-Wide and City-Wide Health Systems (P/CWHS), which are local health systems in which health care providers deliver continuous and integrated health services to individuals and/or communities in a well-defined catchment area.
“The DOH has long cherished its strong relationship with its partners and stakeholders. The agreement between the DOH and LGA further proves that the country’s health sector is geared towards innovating for the benefit of our dear healthcare workers. Targeting our local communities gives us the opportunity to solve challenges close to the roots for a better grasp of the bigger picture,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.