2019
This is an Entry to the Government Best Practice Recognition Awards
Title
UBAS (Ugnayan ng mga Barangay At Simbahan) in Strengthening Service Delivery Networks in Promoting TB and HIV Awareness and Services Among Stakeholders
Organization
Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital
Best practice Focus Area(s)
Customer and citizen focus
Year Implemented
2015
Summary
UBAS or Ugnayan ng Barangay at mga Simbahan is a program started by former DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo. This aims to unite and strengthen community organizations to collaborate in providing solutions and develop partnerships in various aspects of community governance and health. The project was firstly initiated at Tala Caloocan City as its national pioneer in 2015, the first in the country. For the health aspect of UBAS, the partnership was held between the organization and the hospital which promoted synergism in delivering health-related services, especially for TB and HIV as they helped the hospital in cascading these services to the community.
Background and Problem
The objective is to bring the services closer to people by maximizing program funds to benefit the community and empower them to subject themselves for consultation/screening and in the latter part increase their health-seeking behavior. The existence of problems like limited logistics, funding, and manpower is something that both barangay and the hospital share.
Narrowing the gap between the said problems was achieved as a partnership of UBAS helped in the delivery of services as the hospital provides the health services and logistics within their reach. The active participation of the community assisted the hospital to spread awareness to TB and HIV through seminars, forums, and activities in which barangay health workers and community health point persons are now health partners. The hospital and the program share its resources to them and vice versa in which both parties benefited that led to increased health awareness.
Solution and Impact
Efforts to strengthen the linkages made a bodacious change to the implementation of the program and its impact on the community and stakeholders. Initially, monthly meetings were conducted with the community groups and leaders regarding the implementation of the health programs. The utilization of funds and proper allocation of resources were also observed to be able to facilitate all activities together with stakeholders. Through these meetings, tasks were divided to point persons or groups in charge to who will be responsible for its completion.
Various training for capacity building was done through TB and HIV advocacies conducted in the hospital, schools, and community events. Every year since 2015, the NTP-TB Team, as well as the HIV/ AIDS Core Team (HACT) of the hospital, invite representatives from different organizations, associations, schools, health centers, and offices to educate, update and train them in spreading correct information as well as orient on services that the hospital can offer. Since 2015, a total of 18 batches of TB-HIV awareness seminars/forums were held, making almost 1,200 people composed of teachers, health workers, transport operators, church leaders, and community representatives educated as information dissemination partners. This excludes almost 24 TB-HIV activities that consisted of mass chest Xray, parades, service advocacies, and testing.
TB and HIV diagnostics and treatment were given as free. That includes all laboratories for TB and HIV patients shouldered by the program and the hospital. The impact in the community has resulted in increased TB handling of the hospital with a total of 279 registered cases from 2017 to 2018. The increase of health awareness as more patients continue to seek health consultation was recorded. A total of 174,628 in 2016, 184,454 in 2017 and 194,582 in 2018. A 5-6% increase in hospital consultations every year signifies an improvement in health-seeking behavior.
Milestones
The partnership between the hospital and UBAS through strong implementation and management of program coordinators geared the institution to receive numerous awards. NTP team has been recognized as one of the top 3 hospital DOTS awarded by DOH-NCRO in 2018. Best performance in case finding, case holding, and performance as PMDT facility was awarded in 2018 as well. Moreover, the institution has been awarded as Outstanding Rapid TB Diagnostic Laboratory for its number of TB cases screened for gene Xpert. As for the HIV treatment hub, Best Performing HIV Treatment Hub was given for a high number of HIV tests catered.