World Tuberculosis Day 2015

"Reach, Treat, Cure Everyone" is the theme of this year's celebration of the World Tb Day. World TB Day, March 24, marks the day in 1882 when German microbiologist Robert Koch announced his discovery of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). Despite the considerable progress made since that discovery, TB remains one of the world’s deadliest diseases. This highlights the annual activity that fall on the 24th day of March to address the awareness on case findings to increase cure rate and detection rate of TB. The WHO is taking its effort to pacify the present situation of Tb especially in poor communities that is vulnerable to said disease. TB is a disease discovered centuries ago yet it is considered as one of the deadly disease. The promotion and awareness campaign of TB has been reaching communities around the globe. Its main target is to eliminate cases of TB by reaching the nearest health center that provide medications (DOTS).
  If we pay attention to this kind of this globally catastrophic disease, we may be a world free of TB.
   LET US FIGHT AGAINST TB!
  How You Can Become a Partner in the Fight Against TB?

                    - Find out more about TB services in your area.
                    - Reach out to your community and educate them about TB.

Related Links

• Global strategy and targets for TB prevention, care and control after 2015
• WHO's work on TB
• World TB Day 2015: "Reach the 3 Million: Reach, Treat, Cure Everyone"
• WHO: World TB Day
• Events, World TB DAy 2015

Basic Steps Towards Global Development

Days became hours as to minutes became seconds. My adventure and breath taking experiences have been so amazing. I can see myself enjoying every single event that happened for the last month. There were things that have been in my mind for days that I know could help me in this field. As a community organizer, I am very happy that there will be new faces, new group of people who will be part of my life, new set of problems to face and new success to strive for excellence.

It is glad to know that once again I will be involved with the people from the regional down to the barangay level that will help us hand in hand in delivering the project. Tuberculosis has been a problem to developing communities and there have a pragmatic decline in detection and cure rate based on the Philippine Target Plan on TB control. Therefore, a project Innovations and Multi-sectoral Partneships To Achieve Contro on Tuberculosis (IMPACT) funded by the United StatesAgency for International Development (USAID) was established to intensify the case findings to increase the detection and the cure rate. With the Philippine Businessfor Social Progress (BPSP) an agency entrusted by the said funder to deliver the project. The Technical Assistance Providers (TAP’s) happened to be the sub-contractor of the PBSP for proper implementation of the said project.

Davao MedicalSchool Foundation, Inc. (DMSFI) is one of the NGO’s who will help realize the said project. An institution located at Davao City that caters medical courses with a hospital and the Institute of Primary Health Care (IPHC). The IPHC responsible for giving humanitarian and primary health services to the community for over 30 years. DMSF took the challenge to become the sub-contractor of the PBSP. The school’s representatives have been attending Trainings and Seminars initiated by the said contractor.

The recently concluded Training of Trainers was a starting point towards the achievement of the project. The DMSF participated the said activity held on March 11-13, 2015 at Bayleaf Hotel, Intramuros, Manila. Six participants including the Project Manager, Cynthia Manlapus and five Community Organizers enjoyed the whole experience. Among the topics discussed was the Basic Facts about TB, The Revised Manual of Procedure and the Training and Facilitation. A demonstration of the topics on training of CBO’s was presented by every participating NGO’s; RIT/JATA, PHANSUP, WESADEF, KINASANG-AN and DMSF.

On March 24, 2015 a closed door meeting with the Area Coordinator Sharlene April  Jalandra and the DMSF IMPACT Team was conducted to formally initiate the plan and primary tasks. The DMSF team will be introduced by the area coordinator to the Provincial Health Office of Davao Oriental on March 25, 2015 at Mati City. The said activity is expected to have outputs, this includes the name of municipalities that will be covered by the project and determining existing Community Based Organizations.

           On the 25th of March the Team Mindanao for IMPACT project headed to Mati City for a courtesy call. Spearheded by Dr. Ted Yu, Team Leader for Mindanao together with the Project Management Corrdinator of IPHC and DMSF's IMPACT project head, Cynthia Manlapus. A short but meaty conversation commenced during the meeting. The tentative areas are municipalities of Baganga, Taragona, Caraga, Cateel, Boston, Manay. These municipalities will be the pilot areas. One of the things that was set during the meeting was the upcoming Courtesy call to the Governeor of Davao Oriental and the Provicial Orientation to be attended by the Municipal Mayors, Nurses, PHO staff and other medical practitioners of the province.

I will give you updates on the next day entry of my blog. Thank you so much!

Training of Trainers for TB Educators

Activity: Training of Trainers

Date: March 11-13, 2015

Venue: Bayleaf Hotel, Intramuros, Manila

Training of Trainers for TB (Tuberculosis) Educators was conducted to capacitate the Technical Assistance Providers (TAP’s) as part of the procedure before the project will be delivered. NGO’s from Luzon Visayas and Mindanao came together for the said training. PHANSUP, WESADEF, KSFI, RITJATA and DMSF were the NGO’s present during the training. The IMPACT (Innovations and Multi-Sectoral Partnership toAchieve Control of Tuberculosis) team headed by the Project Mobilization Specialist Mr. Mario together with the staff who happens to be the resource persons of the activity. Dr. Ronnie Marfe, doctor of pathology, was also present to discuss basic facts about TB.

On the first day (March 11, 2015) of the training topics were Discussion/Clarification on the scope of work and deliverables of NGO TAPs, IMPACT’s Technical/Training Assistance to the NGO TAP’s and Proposed schedule, Discussed on the Template of Inception Report cum M&E Plan. A brief introduction of Tuberculosis was also presented.  Participants were able to identify TB symptomatic and other relevant information was discussed. On the second day of the said training participants continue to discuss the Monitoring and Supervision of the CBO’s; Orientation on the Referral, Reporting and Recording System CBO to RHU/Barangay Health Station and followed by Action Plan and Strategies and then ended with the Tips of Training and Facilitating presented by Mr. Dino Subingsubing, Training Specialist of the IMPACT. At the end of the mentioned activities participants learned how the Referral and Monitoring System of the CBO’s  work, strategies that will be employed and the skills on training and capacitating the CBO’s. The remaining time was allotted for the team demonstration; this will determine how the TAP’s perform the training.

On the last day of the activity, demonstration was continued. The whole day was allotted for demonstration and then the concluding part of the activity. The event was successfully conducted and achieved its main goal. Participants were able to learn different things in Tuberculosis especially in the procedure of delivering the project. At exactly 4:00 pm the DMSF team immediately went home. The three day activity have helped every participants understand the totality of the project. The activity was made possible with the concentrated efforts of the BPSP and the participating NGO’s. The laughter and ideas shared proved that the participants have been able to learn and enjoyed the whole duration of the activity. 

Innovations and Multi-Sectoral Partnerships to Achieve Control of Tuberculosis (IMPACT)

Days passed but I didn’t noticed that my training is about to end. On March 10 my OJT period will end fortunately. It simply means that I will step up to the next level. It is glad to know that I survived. As of now I am preparing myself for a training that will be held at the Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros, Manila on 11^th until 13^th of March. Reports and other documents are submitted before we travel.

Innovations and Multi-Sectoral Partnerships to Achieve Control of Tuberculosis (IMPACT) is a project that will be delivered by the Institute of Primary Health Care of Davao Medical School Foundation, Inc. This project was funded by the USAID to address the pragmatic decline in the number of reached by TB education, presumptive TB cases identified and referred to health centers, presumptive TB cases referred and submitted for sputum exam, presumptive TB cases who have completed the 2 sputum examination, presumptive TB cases identified as New Sputum Positive (NSP) TB, TB All Forms diagnosed, NSP cases who have started treatment with community volunteers as treatment partners, NST cased cured and cases of TB All Forms diagnosed and undergoing treatment. The ultimate output of this project is to Increasethe Case Detection Rate (CDR) and Cure Rate (CR) of the Local Government Units attributable to increased (minimum of 10%) referrals from the Community-Based Organizations.

Through the coordination of the Community-based Organizations (CBO’s) to the Rural Health Units (RHU’s) the project hoped to continue for another 3 years based on the one year term evaluation of the funding agency reported by the Community Service Unit (CSU) of the DMSFI. However, Community organizers like me is now preparing for the said training. I’ve done research on Tuberculosis in the Philippines. As of now the Department of Health through its National Tuberculosis Program find ways on how these existing TB DOTS facilities are accessed by the presumptive cases. With the close coordination of the Local Government Units it is believed to be realized.

Through Philippine Business for Social Progress (BPSP) as the contractor the project will be initiated o the provinces that have been detected with the high cases of TB. The contractor (BPSP) coordinated the NGO's or the Technical Assistance Providers (TAP's) to deliver the project. These TAP's are considered to be the sub-contractors responsible for the delivery of the said project. The DMSF-IPHC is one of the Technical Assistance Provider that will cover 6 Municipalities in Davao Oriental with 4 barangay per assignment.

Since this project (IMPACT) is new, a training will be conducted to capacitate the community organizers and project heads for proper delivery of the project to target municipalities of Davao Oriental. I am very grateful to be part of the said project because aside from opportunities of traveling places and communities, it will also open my horizon in meeting new people and new experiences.