ROJoson’s Additional Advocacy and Contribution to COVID19 Fight after Dr. JP Rizal Award

October 6, 2020

Search for Excellent Community Health Program Against COVID19

ROJoson concept with inputs from Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity and Sorority which will eventually be turned over to Mu Sigma Phi of the UP College of Medicine (to help the medical students imbibe and accomplish the mission of the UPCM:

Guided by moral, ethical and spiritual values; we commit ourselves to excellence and leadership in community-oriented medical education, research and service; using the Primary Health Care Approach; intended especially for the underserved.

For myself, why I am doing this?

I have to continue to practice my being a community-oriented physician in the Philippines while I am still alive and not crippled.

I have started my advocacy and contribution to COVID19 fight since January 2020 with an online public health education (particularly ROJ-OCIL on Novel Coronavirus - https://sites.google.com/site/rojocilcoipublic/roj-ocil-olete-on-novel-coronavirus) and channeling donations of Personal Protective Equipment to rural health units and provincial government hospitals all over the country (https://sites.google.com/site/rojosontporsoncovid19/rojoson-s-anti-covid19-advocacy-and-contribution---as-of-september-2020)

I have conducted a presentation and sharing of excellent practices of community health program against COVID19 last July 30, 2020 (https://sites.google.com/site/mureliefxcovid19awards/).

Since the fight against COVID19 is not yet over, last September 20, 2020, I made a new resolution to continue my anti-COVID19 Advocacy and Contribution up to January 2021 as part of my projects in the ROJoson’s COVID19 Quarantine and Sabbatical Leave. (https://sites.google.com/site/rojosontporsoncovid19/rojoson-s-last-big-scale-anti-covid19-project)

This Search for Excellent Community Health Program Against COVID19 is actually a continuation of my ROJDonors x MuRelief x HelpThru Excellent Practices Against COVID19 which was done on July 30, 2020.

The following have been my insights on the first project:

1. I confirmed the perception that the rural health units or municipal health offices in the provinces are the medical frontlines in the battleground against COVID19 in the community. They tried to prevent and control COVID19 in the community and thereby, avoiding the hospitals to be swamped with COVID19 patients.

2. They played the simultaneous dual managerial roles in the STAY SAFE FROM COVID19 program and the STAY HEALTHY PROGRAM. The hospitals are more focused on STAY SAFE FROM COVID19 program and more on the curative side, less on the preventive side.

3. I received requests mostly from the doctors to the barrios and municipal health officers for assistance in the fight against COVID19 in their GIDA (Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas) community when our program was publicized. I had to regrettably turned down quite a number of requests as I had limited funds and I could allow only one beneficiary per province only. Their main reasons for requesting support have been lack of resources and priorities being given to provincial hospitals.

4. Lastly, I noticed the municipal health officers and doctors to the barrios under the ROJDonors - Mu Relief – HelpThru Against COVID19 Project have tended to have more structured and comprehensive design and development programs in STAY SAFE against COVID19 and STAY HEALTHY during the COVID19 pandemic.

Thus, as an offshoot of my experience with the ROJDonors x MuRelief x HelpThru Excellent Practices Against COVID19 last July 30, 2020, I really want to incentivize as many municipal health officers (MHO) and doctors to the barrios (DTTB) in the fight against COVID19 to do their best and to come out with innovative programs against COVID19. I want to look for best practices that other MHOs / DTTBs can adopt.

I cannot on my own have a good community health program to show as I have been quarantined at home since March 15, 2020 because of my age. I have been asking and looking for published good Philippine models of community health management against COVID19 but have difficulty finding except for those presented in ROJDonors x MuRelief x HelpThru Excellent Practices Against COVID19 last July 30, 2020. I am sure there are many community health management programs to fight against COVID19 in the Philippines. As part of my contribution, I want to bring out the best practices from the ground for the education of everybody.

As of October 6, 2020, 3 pm, I am getting inputs from the Mu Sigma Phi medical students before we finalize and launch the project.

For the moment, let me just say the following:

1. The search will be open to all municipal health officers and doctors to the barrios in the Philippines.

2. The community health program against COVID19 will be in the form of an action research with a timeline of March 2020 to November or December 2020 with the theme of STAY SAFE AND STAY HEALTHY in the midst of COVID19 pandemic.

3. The deadline for submission is tentatively set on the first or second week of December 2020.

4. The presentation of the finalists will be in January 2021.

5. The following will most likely be the judging criteria:

· Innovativeness

· Cost-effectiveness

· Community engagement

· Impact

· Sustainability and applicability

6. The prizes will most likely be a certificate and cash awards:

· First placer – P70K

· Second placer – P50K

· Third placer – P30K

(I will still look for donations to this project so that I can provide cash awards for the other finalists.)

I am appealing to my friends and followers in Facebook.

March to June 2020, you have channeled your donations to me to help the medical frontliners.

The fight against COVID19 is still on.

The municipal health officers and doctors to the barrios who are in the medical frontlines still need your help.

Can we continue to show appreciation of what they are doing for our countrymen?

Can we continue to support them in what they are doing for our countrymen?

Can we continue to motivate them to report their best practices in controlling COVID19 so that all of us will learn from them?

Whatever amount of monetary donations you will give will be appreciated. Just send me a message through Facebook messenger.

Thanks

Dr. Rey

ROJ@20oct6