The Department of Health (DOH) has turned over the malaria elimination medium-term plan to the provincial government of Palawan to implement strategies to attain zero malaria cases by 2026.
DOH Undersecretary Glen Matthew Baggao believes that malaria elimination will not just save lives but also unlock significant socio-economic benefits, backed by World Health Organization (WHO) reports.
The plan, called the Palawan Malaria Accelerated Elimination and Sustainability Plan (PMAESP) 2024-2026, was conceptualized for a year by health officials and various sectors.
“For Palawan, achieving malaria elimination would mean improved productivity, better school attendance for children, and enhanced quality of life for families,” Baggao said.
The Philippines now has 72 malaria-free provinces, wherein nine provinces have zero indigenous cases. Palawan is the lone province in the country that remains to have malaria cases, reaching 8,000 active cases.
The municipality of Rizal shares the largest volume of cases in the province.
The PMAESP contains six strategies categorized under leadership and governance capacity, institutionalize multi-sectoral collaboration, deepen and widen community engagement, strengthen service delivery and quality, enhance surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, and intensify advocacy and resource mobilization.
Regional Director Mario Baquilod of DOH MIMAROPA Center for Health Development said the country has achieved over a 90 percent reduction in malaria compared to early 2000s cases.
It is important for local governments, from provincial to municipal levels, to lead the fight against malaria, he added.
“We want to see the community taking part in this campaign—hindi lang magpagamot, magpa-diagnose. Magparticipate din in treatment and preventive action that has to be done. We have to improve their health-seeking behavior,” Baquilod said.
DOH also involves other government sectors such as the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), believing that the spread of malaria is also caused by the population movement.
The plan dedicates more than 90 percent of its budget to improving service delivery, as Baquilod said that we must enhance case detection as early as the barangay level and provide an immediate response.
He stressed that advocacy is a major component of the plan, as everyone needs to understand the culture of the indigenous communities where large numbers of cases come from.
On the other hand, Rizal Municipal Health Officer Kristal Care Pineda stated that the town contributes approximately 50 percent of the current malaria cases in Palawan, recording 4,000 active cases.
“Huwag kayo magsawa na tulungan kami na makamit natin ang hinihiling ng lahat na mag-zero malaria at malaria free tayo,” she said.
If Palawan records zero malaria cases by 2026, the World Health Organization may declare the Philippines as malaria-free by 2030.
Elizabeth Sabando, representing the provincial government of Palawan, commits to making the fight against malaria one of the province’s top priorities in order to meet the health needs of the locals.
“We pledge our full support and active collaboration in the implementation of this program,” Sabando said.
Other recipients of the PMAESP include local government units of Puerto Princesa, Brooke’s Point, Quezon, and Sofronio Española. (PIA)
