2019

This is an Entry to the Government Best Practice Recognition Awards

Title

Barangay Health Leadership and Management Program

Organization

City Health Office - Batangas City

Best practice Focus Area(s)

Leadership, Strategic performance management

Year Implemented

2014

Summary

The Barangay Health Leadership and Management Program is part of the City Leadership and Governance Program given to the City Government of Batangas last July 2014, under the Cities Development Initiative of USAID.

The program was facilitated by the Department of Health, Zuellig Foundation, and the Development Academy of the Philippines. The City Health Office decided to conduct this workshop among the 105 barangays, especially for the barangay chairman and Kagawad, Committee on Health. The LGU conducted 6 batches of workshops last August – September 2015 and another 3 batches for the newly elected and re-elected officials last September 2018.

Background and Problem

The objectives are:

  1. To empower the barangay officials as leaders in their barangays; and
  2. To identify their roles in the delivery of basic health services to address the inequities present in their barangays.

In Batangas City, some barangay officials take their roles lightly that they always depend on the city level for all their needs. There are also officials who are not aware of the different health programs being implemented by the LGU, despite them being informed of such. Barangay Health Boards are non-functional because none are organized. Some officials do not know about the health status of their barangays. With these problems enumerated, the workshop was conducted in order to define their roles as leaders.

Solution and Impact

The Best Practice’s Theory of Change is to develop competent and good leaders in the barangay for them to be involved in the healthcare delivery system and produce better health outcomes.

Prior to the conduct of the program, coordination was done with the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the issuance of a memorandum to all barangay chairs to attend the activity. A workshop was conducted wherein the health status per barangay was presented to them and the roadmap was shown to them for them to analyze what needs to be done at their barangay. At that workshop, they were asked how to see themselves 2-3 years after.

During the workshop, groupings were done per barangay, composed of the Barangay Chairman, Kagawad, Committee on Health, midwife, and Barangay Health Worker. The Barangay Roadmap was given to them and asked to analyze how they performed in terms of healthcare delivery. In 2018, the Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman (SK) and SK Kagawad on Health were added as participants.

 After the workshop, immediately, the Barangay Health Boards were organized, and resolutions were passed. The long-term impact of this workshop is creating leaders who are performers who will recognize that the problem is theirs and that they are responsible for addressing these challenges facing their barangays.

Milestones

  • All the 105 barangays organized their own Barangay Health Boards through the passage of their respective resolutions.
  • Construction and renovation of health facilities.
  • Allocation of funds for health programs
  • Continuous monitoring of the roadmap
  • Possible recognition of deserving barangays