DOH first-ever Healthy Pilipinas Awards opens door for submissions

The Department of Health (DOH) is drumming up its call for submissions as it launches the first-ever Healthy Pilipinas Awards in recognition of the exemplary efforts of local government units that are in the forefront of health promotion and COVID-19 response.

Dubbed as the Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Healthy Communities 2022, the initiative is designed to recognize model healthcare programs of local government units as well as serve as a springboard for the DOH Health Promotion Framework Strategy.

“The Department of Health acknowledges the crucial role of our local governments in the promotion of health.  In this time of the pandemic, they have demonstrated their leadership and resolve to prioritize the health of the people in communities. We commend our local governments for being in the forefront of our health promotion strategies that benefit not only their constituents but also the entire country,” said DOH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.

Under Republic Act (RA) No. 11223 otherwise known as the “Universal Health Care Act,” the DOH Health Promotion Bureau is mandated to develop a framework strategy for health promotion, which shall serve as the basis for health promotion policies, plans and programs.

“With the Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Healthy Communities, we are recognizing our local governments that have implemented innovative and high impact health promotion initiatives. With these recognitions, we are also creating a platform for the sharing of best practices in the implementation of health promotion policies, plans and programs in the communities. We believe that the promotion of health in the communities will lead to our aspiration of a Healthy Pilipinas where no one is left behind in the pursuit of health for all,” said DOH Health Promotion Bureau Director Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho.

The Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Healthy Communities aims to recognize LGUs — including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) — that have spearheaded efforts in the eight (8) priority areas defined in DOH’s Health Promotion Framework Strategy. The DOH Health Promotion Framework Strategy highlights the importance of national and local leadership and governance in health as well as the need for partnerships for health.

“We are honored to once again collaborate with the Department of Health this time in its trailblazing initiative to recognize exemplary local government units that serve as models when it comes to health promotion. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of health promotion in communities, and that the many local governments have stood up to the challenge to improve health outcomes. We also commend the Health Promotion Bureau for working to ensure that Universal Healthcare will be implemented at the community level,” PHAP Executive Director Mr. Teodoro Padilla said.

The eight key areas include Nutrition & Physical Activity, Environmental Health, Immunization Substance Use, Mental Health, Sexual & Reproductive Health, Violence & Injury Prevention and COVID-19 Response. All eight priority areas work towards promoting a Healthy Pilipinas. Five (5) entries from each category will be recognized based on a set of criteria by the DOH.

The LGUs that have expressed interest to participate will be subject to the following criteria: People’s Choice (20%), Partner’s Choice (30%), and Health Promotion Scorecard (50%). The Health Promotion Scorecard will be measure on the project’s relevance, innovativeness, adaptability, impact and scalability.

The project description, which is a part of the submission requirements, will stand for 25% of the total score. Additionally, another 25% of the total score will come from the Self-Assessment form that the participants themselves will fill out.

The winners will receive a trophy from the DOH and its partners, namely USAID ReachHealth, USAID BreakthroughAction, USAID RenewHealth, UNICEF, ImagineLaw, AHA Behavioral Design, MentalHealthPH, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI), and RedScope Communications, Inc. The deadline for submissions for the Healthy Pilipinas Awards has been extended until February 21, 2022 while the recognition ceremony will be on March 4 this year.

For more information on the Healthy Pilipinas Awards and to download the form, please visit www.healthypilipinas.ph, while interested LGUs may also accomplish the online registration form at bit.ly/HPAwards2022.

ADVT