CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga (PIA) – The Department of Health (DOH) Central Luzon Center for Health Development (CLCHD) and its partners highlighted the importance of partnership and collaboration in determining and addressing priority health issues in the region.
During the 9th Central Luzon Health Research Forum, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the event serves as a testament to the unwavering commitment of various stakeholders in pursuing quality, responsive, and equitable healthcare services through the pursuit of resilience and dynamism towards sustainable development.
“Hopefully, one day, we can all sit together, as one Central Luzon, having our unified agenda addressing specific issues and working together towards integrated solutions for improved health systems,” she said.
For her part, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Leah Buendia cited that collaboration is a key to positively impact the lives of Filipinos, as she talked about the agency’s investments in research and development towards resilience and dynamism for health.
She also presented the accomplishments and programs that the agency has been conducting and supporting to utilize technological advancements in ensuring the continuous improvement in the country’s healthcaresystem and delivery.
Meanwhile, DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) Executive Director Jaime Montoya re-echoed the importance of involving all sectors in tackling issues and discovering breakthroughs together to genuinely achieve transformative health outcomes by helping policy decisions and shaping interventions which will all lead to saving more lives.
He further encouraged everyone to embrace resilience and dynamism through exchange of ideas which will result in a series of innovations to improve the health and well-being of people.
At the regional level, DOH CLCHD Regional Director Corazon Flores expressed the agency’s commitment in continuously seeking advancements and improvements in the healthcare delivery services through the said forum, where expertise and resources are shared to help ensure that policies and practices are at par with the ever-evolving health systems.
DOST 3 Regional Director Julius Caesar Sicat, meanwhile, underscored resilience and dynamism as cornerstones of sustainable development and recognized the strengthened commitment to engage various communities and agencies to foster solutions that are not just effective but also culturally relevant and sensitive in order to build a healthier Central Luzon.
To show support to the activity, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) 3 Senior Education Supervisor Efren Arbulencia emphasized the role of the agency in stimulating the development of systems that will foster the acquisition and development of knowledge.
He also reiterated the value of these collaborative efforts in ensuring better health access towards sustainable goals.
The two-day forum featured oral and digital poster research presentations on relevant health topics, as well as discussion on Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR).
It also featured a competition on pitch to policymakers on relevant health issues, as well as an Intellectual Property and Technology Management (IPTM) HeaRTNovation Program presentation and consultation meeting to reach to different stakeholders and provide technical assistance for application of possible health innovations.
Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Law reinforces that the DOH shall strengthen its research capability by supporting health systems development and reform initiatives through policy and systems research, and shall support the growth of research consortia to assure quality health care for Filipinos by ensuring that health research is linked to the needs of our health system. (CLJD/MJSC, PIA Region 3-Pampanga)
