The World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines and the Department of Health (DOH) Western Visayas Center for Health Development commenced the expansion of the Healthy Hearts Programme to cover the provinces of Aklan, Antique, and the remaining districts of the province of Iloilo.
As reported by the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. CVDs are a group of disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels among others and are the main cause of premature deaths. WHO also found that 4 out of 5 premature deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes. Through whole-of-society actions, the Healthy Hearts Programme intensifies strategies to reduce deaths from cardiovascular diseases and address other noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases.
The Healthy Hearts Programme has made significant milestones in strengthening the health system since its early phases. Within the Phase 1 of the programme from October 2018 to December 2020, the Healthy Hearts Technical Package was developed to help health workers provide patients with accurate and reliable CVD information on screening, diagnosis, and treatment protocols through the e-Learning course and job aids. Using the Hypertension e-Registry, the package equips health workers with tools to conduct regular intervention and coverage monitoring.
Moreover, Phase II launched the pilot implementation of the Healthy Hearts Programme in the 7 municipalities of the first district of Iloilo Province between January 2021 and December 2022. The programme benefited 25,000 adults and 80 percent of which exhibited controlled blood pressure.
WHO staff with representatives from the Department of Health and the Provincial Government of Aklan © WHO Philippines/ Cling Malaco
Aligned with the Health Sector’s 8-Point Action Agenda, the Healthy Hearts Programme aspires to deepen partnerships between leaders and communities to ensure the best quality primary care services for all. Anchored on the principles of the Universal Health Coverage, the Phase III of the Healthy Hearts Programme bolsters support for the DOH in widening the reach of the Healthy Hearts Technical Package at the subnational level. To ensure the sustainability of the programme, the support of the local leaders are needed.
In 2024, the programme will cover additional local government units: 9 in Antique; 12 in Iloilo; and 17 in Aklan. With this, the programme’s total reach will account to 39 out of the 43 municipalities in Iloilo and the entire provinces of Antique and Aklan.
WHO staff, officials from the Center for Health Development Western Visayas, and representatives from the Provincial Government of Iloilo © WHO Philippines/ Cling Malaco
The expansion of the Healthy Hearts Programme in Western Visayas aims to inspire other regions in the country to employ community actions and people-centered strategies in making everyone free from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The Healthy Hearts Programme expansion shows the dedication of Western Visayas towards making everyone healthy and safe. With adaptive leadership, we can achieve a healthy system that will protect every Filipino from NCDs.
“WHO will continue to advocate for integrated and universal health coverage in addressing NCDs. We need to build stronger partnerships with different localities, provinces and regions in the country so that we can fully realise and sustain the vision of a healthy Philippines,” said Dr Rui Paulo de Jesus, WHO Representative to the Philippines.