Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
by Miriam G. Desacada
Palo, Leyte–The Department of Health-Region 8 (DOH-8) announced its deployment of 14 new physicians to some local government units in the region, under its Doctors to the Barrios (DTTBs) program designed to address the healthcare needs of underserved and rural communities across the country.
Jelyn Malibago, information officer of DOH-8, told the media that the 14 DTTBs will be sent to various LGUs in the region, which needed the ideal doctor-to patient ratio of one doctor per 20,000 population.
Areas of deployment for this batch of DTTBs are the towns of Liloan and Anahawan in Southern Leyte; Palompon, Palo, Calubian, Mahaplag, Burauen, Bato, and Babatngon in Leyte; Naval in Biliran; Motiong and Matuguinao in Samar; Arteche in Eastern Samar; and Silvino Lobos in Northern Samar.
These DTTBs, who are medical scholars of the government, will assist in delivering healthcare services, such as regular check-ups, vaccinations, health education, and emergency care to the people of a community they are assigned to.
Paid with salaries, under the salary standards in government, the DTTBs will also provide support to local health workers and helps in strengthening health systems in their area of deployment.
The #DoctorsToTheBarrios program was created by the DOH in 1993 to address the lack of doctors practicing in rural communities around the country. Since then, several batches of doctors have been deployed to various geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in the Philippines to work in primary care and public health.
The DTTB program was developed based on a study by the DOH in 1992, which showed that 271 towns had been without a doctor for at least five years. These communities were often the hard to-reach and economically underdeveloped areas. —-Miriam G. Desacad
