Deficits in the Capacity to Conduct Programs

Knowledge and its application

As public health is concerned, there are gaps between what we know and what we
should know. By correcting this thru health education, some might not thoroughly accept the
facts maybe because they are already at is on the knowledge that they know. For example, the
Filipino proverb when a food dropped to the floor,malinis pa yan, wala pang 5 minutes. I,
myself, as a child before were very convinced by that word to the point that I eat that particular
food as long as I blew some dust away. As time goes by, different knowledge comes in, science,
biology, etc. it helped a lot for the transition of knowledge from what we know to what is the
real one.
A degree in public health is one of the easiest way to practice its advocacy. Other courses
included on the lists: Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Engineering, Law.

Distribution of Technical Expertise

Each individual has own expertise. As a specialist known to have a good track when it
comes to Public health dissemination and research of information is concerned, it is very
difficult to have and maintain one as per salary and workload per se. The government must
have a program on having a seminar about public health, and also, standardization on salary
involve, because nowadays, salary is one of the most priority seen when entering a job.

Building constituencies for public health

Page

Public health when it comes to community is having a poor image or lack of attention
even when its success in the solving of specific problems is highly publicized and commended.
In other words, it became reactive. When a specific disease comes, public health information is
being disseminated to the communities from how it is acquired up to how it can be prevented.
As time goes by, that certain disease overcome by another disease/ illness therefore, new
health information is needed for the community to be understood. The previous information of
the old disease was forgotten up to the point that the community behave as they forgot how to
prevent acquiring that old disease. In other words, the community should be proactive rather
than being reactive in order for them to continue their health environment.

Nar Patrick S. Padilla, RN

PLM-MAN

Dr. Gilmore Solidum, RN, MAN

Managerial capacity
As what I have previously discussed, salary is one of the factors that an individual is
looking before accepting a certain job. Being a manager that facilitates public health is not that
easy. An individual should have an expertise, different connection (somehow) to various groups
in the government and communities, know different strategies when organizing a health
dissemination program. For instance, DOH, or the Department of Health, had their New Year
commercial in which we seen, heard and know for many times but this time, they incorporated
a strategy in which the included some kids that became a victim of using a prohibited fire
cracker. Why kids, not an adult? Because majority of the population here in the Philippines are
teen-aged.

The lack of fiscal support

Health is wealth and is needed to sustain our function in every days life. But of course,
lack of financing by the government to public health makes it difficult to start different
programs. In order to overcome this, some Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) continue to
provide a group and disseminate their different advocacies by providing information to the
public and through this, somehow, they helped the community by preventing, or even control
the spread of the particular disease that they being discussed to.

How the Public Health System WorksAids as an Example

Statutory Base
For instance, here in the Philippines, knowing one person infected or having an AIDS is
very crucial. In the hospital settings, as the primary physician upon history suspects an
individual having an HIV, he/she should never ever order it to the chart because the law abides
to it that an individual should undergo the screening voluntarily so, if the individual refuses to
take the said screening for proper identification of the disease, how can a physician treat
his/her illness?

Nar Patrick S. Padilla, RN

PLM-MAN

Dr. Gilmore Solidum, RN, MAN

Page

Love yourself is an organization funded by the government which provides counseling

and screening of HIV and STDs. They offer free screenings, and through that, they can track
where the increase of incident takes place. In connection with that, through various health
education, statistics can be presented to the public and awareness can be embarked.

Assessment

Policy Development
Formulating a policy when it comes to AIDS is very difficult as an individual whom
develop it should consider that the proposed policy should not discriminate those who already
acquire the disease. Today, safe sex is as important as one should not want to acquire the
disease. The Department of Health formulated ABC of ways on how to prevent HIV/AIDS. AAbstinence, which is very difficult to do, but the very effective way not to acquire the disease;
B-Be faithful, being faithful to your partner by means of having only one partner, minimize your
exposure of being infected by the HIV; C-Condom, in which it serves as a barrier to protect each
individual acquiring the disease as we all know that it can transferred through vaginal and
penile discharges.

Assurance
The government makes the individual assured that they can get medications to control
the HIV. For instance, the DOH in San Lazaro Hospital are giving medications to those who are
infected by the disease. Proper tracing of their sexual partner is also being seen here in order
for the government ensure that every individual is safe and if not, being provided with proper
care and medications and in addition, proper health education can be rendered to them as
some infected person is having a hard time reporting or admit to their selves that they are
already infected by the disease.

The State of Public Health

Page

As per AIDS in being consider, it is nowadays being the number one communicable
disease in the Philippines. The government should be strongly focus on this, on different ways
on how to prevent the spread and transmission of the disease, proper health education through
public must also be implemented. Funded by the government on how to solve and track person
infected, and different ways on how to enjoy life without having the stigma that they
experiencing today.

Nar Patrick S. Padilla, RN

PLM-MAN

Dr. Gilmore Solidum, RN, MAN