Author: malaysiang

A total of 148,201 children in Negros Oriental are targeted for the nationwide ‘Chikiting Ligtas’ mass vaccination campaign against measles and rubella (MR) and polio during the whole month of May. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion said the month-long ‘Chikiting Ligtas’ (Safe Children) supplemental immunization campaign was launched in a ceremony in Sibulan town on Tuesday, a day after Labor Day. Estacion said the province has enough supply of vaccines for measles and rubella. However, due to limited supply from the Department of Health (DOH), only a few geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) in the province have been identified for the oral polio vaccination (OPV), she said. These are Guihulngan City, Tanjay City, and the towns of Mabinay and Sta. Catalina that have remote barangays. Children aged zero to 59 months will be given the oral polio vaccine while those aged 9 months to 59 months will have the measles-rubella shots. Meanwhile, Estacion said the province would endeavor to immunize at least 75 percent of the total target population of the ‘Chikiting Ligtas’ campaign in Negros Oriental as she believes it would be too difficult to reach the 95 percent nationwide target set by the DOH. ‘The 95 percent national target is too high and not ideal for Negros Oriental due to the presence of GIDAs, which means that there are remote areas that cannot be accessed for a variety of reasons, such as the lack of nurses,’ she said partly in Filipino. Some GIDAs are also affected by the communist insurgency, which might compromise the security of health workers bringing the vaccines. Estacion, however, promised that they would do their best to meet the target. Despite the DOH’s limited demand, she said, families who can afford to have their children immunized at private clinics or hospitals may do so. Either way, Estacion called on the parents to have their children immunized as vaccines protect them from preventable diseases

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday reminded all rail services to enforce the mandatory wearing of face masks as Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases rise across the country. In a statement, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Railways Jorjette Aquino directed the Light Rain Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), LRT-2, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) to strictly enforce the wearing of face masks in all trains and stations. ‘All officials, employees, and personnel in the rail sector shall also be subjected to mandatory Covid-19 testing should anyone suffer from symptoms of the virus,’ Aquino said. She reiterated that talking with other commuters or on the phone is prohibited inside trains. ‘Disinfection activities shall remain consistent in all trains and stations,’ she said. The order was issued after the Department of Health (DOH) recorded a 42 percent increase in average daily new Covid-19 infections — or 637 new cases per day — during the last week of April. ‘We urge all rail operators to undertake these measures with the health and safety of each commuter on top of mind. Let us work together to ensure the safety of everyone during these challenging times,’ Aquino said. Earlier, Octa Research fellow Guido David revealed that the Covid-19 positivity rate in Metro Manila increased to 17.2 percent on Saturday, more than three times the ideal five percent threshold according to the World Health Organization. This is an increase from a positivity rate of 10.2 percent in the National Capital Region on April 22

Source: Philippines News Agency

Active coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the Caraga Region increased to 201 as of May 1, the Department of Health in the Caraga Region (DOH-13) reported Tuesday. In a statement, the DOH-13 said the current figure is 71 cases higher compared to the previous count of 130 on April 24. DOH-13 said the newly-recorded active cases brought the total cases in the region to 63,651 since the Covid-19 pandemic was declared in the country in March 2020. A single death caused by the disease was also recorded in the area last week, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,389 since the pandemic was declared in early 2020. Meanwhile, 44 patients recuperated from the disease from April 24 to May 1, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries in the region to 61,061. ‘No critical or severe admissions due to Covid-19 were recorded in the region last week,’ the DOH-13 report said, adding that 89 patients found positive for the virus were admitted to the different designated health facilities in the region. The DOH-13 report indicated that only 88 out of 402 non-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, and one out of the 67 ICU beds at health facilities in the region were utilized last week.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is hoping that the Health White Paper, which is deemed the beginning of the journey to achieve a more sustainable and competitive Malaysian health system, will get full support from the government and all levels of society.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said the Health White Paper is expected to be tabled at Parliament in June to get bi-partisan support from the Members of Parliament before steps towards implementation can be carried out.

“Conceptually, it is complete and encompasses all aspects of health, but we need to start optimising the strategies and planning from now.

“We hope it will receive full support as this effort does not only involve the MOH. It requires comprehensive efforts of the society and the government to make the Malaysian health system more efficient,” he told reporters after attending the Health White Paper town hall session for the northern zone here today.

Dr Muhammad Radzi said among the issues raised during the town hall session were the improvements in the health services, which are often plagued with over-crowding issues, especially at the emergency department and health clinics.

Apart from that, he said the MOH is also striving to change society’s approach from seeking treatment to ensuring overall wellbeing by promoting preventive measures.

He said the Health White Paper will also focus on healthcare financing constraints as the drastic increase in the demand for health services and the rising cost of healthcare have also threatened the sustainability of healthcare funding.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency