DOH-CHDZP to deploy 200 nurses under NDP 2015

By Claro A. Lanipa

PAGADIAN CITY – The Department of Health-Center for Health and Development Zamboanga Peninsula (DOH-CHDZP) will deploy this month some 200 nurses under the department’s Nurse Deployment Project (NDP) 2015 to the 26 municipalities and a city of Zamboanga del Sur.

DOH-CHDZP Officer-In-Charge Ulysses Jose Briones said this project aims to improve local health system that will support the country’s attainment of the Universal Health Care better known as “Kalusugan Pangkalahatan” in support of the Millenium Development Goals (MDG).

Briones said these nurses were among the nurses who underwent recruitment and selection process last year and decided to renew their contract for another year of service. Though, some of them resigned while others were new recruits to replenish the needed required number of nurses.

These nurses will supervise the so-called Community Health Teams (CHTs) composed of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS), Pantawid Pamilya leaders and barangay kagawads (councilors) whose primary functions is to monitor and assess the health risk of the families identified under the social program of the government better known as the National Housing Targeting System (NHTS) conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Briones elaborated.

“If there are risks found in the family, these nurses will also help the concerned family to prepare their own health plan and help  facilitate their health benefits under the government’s Philippine Health Insurance System or PhilHealth program,” Briones said.

He further said one nurse would handle an average of 20 NHTS households and would regularly monitor the health of these families, particularly the children and pregnant women for the whole year.