THE Department of Health said Zamboanga Peninsula (Western Mindanao) lacks 11,000 barangay health workers (BHW) to hasten the delivery of basic services in the region.
Flora Alegre Wong, DOH regional program coordinator, said that of the 11,000 needed BHWs, 10,000 are for the other areas of the region and the remaining 1,000 are for the Zamboanga City.
At present, there are only 7,460 BHWs assisting the DOH in the delivery of basic health services across the region.
Of the total, 460 are based in the city while the 7,000 are based in the different cities and towns in the region.
The BHW’s assist the physicians, nurses, and midwives in the delivery of basic health care services to the barangays.
They also do home visitations, counseling, and conduct health information and education.
Wong said they lack BHWs since less people are interested to serve as health workers for the reason that they only receive an honoraria. (VoxPop Philippines)
