THE Department of Health has issued a memorandum to its regional field offices on “protecting all registered and accredited BHWs against unjust removal,” the House Committee on Health vice chair has disclosed.
BHW Party-list Angelica Natasha Co also said the memo of the Bureau of Local Health Systems Development also asks each DOH center for health development to assist local health boards in the conduct of an investigation, deliberate with the local health board, and resolve disputes on the DOH’s joint memorandum circular with the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
“That JMC on the Retention and Continued Service of Barangay Health Workers was issued last August provides for due process and steps to make sure the volunteer BHWs’ services are not unjustly terminated because of local politics and animosities,” Congresswoman Co said.
“Given the shortage of BHWs, the barangays should be adding BHWs, not removing the registered and accredited BHWs on whose training and service capability upgrades the DOH has already spent billions of pesos over the years,” the House Appropriations Committee vice chair emphasized.
Congresswoman Co said, “There are national public health and safety interests involved, and the termination of over 80,000 BHWs has weakened the country’s primary health care frontlines.”
“As implementing regulations of the Universal Health Care Act, the JMC has the force and effect of law. Considering that the barangay captains are duty bound to enforce and observe all the country’s laws and regulations, those who terminated the services of BHWs have violated the JMC,” Co pointed out.
“But their violations can be rectified. The damage done to primary health care services and the injustice to the terminated BHWs can be remedied. The barangay captains need only rescind their termination of the BHWs services to solve this issue. BHW Party-list will not relent. We will fight for every BHW,” Co said.
