[Community health workers list down their initiatives and activities to improve the delivery of their services during the workshop conducted by the Governance and Leadership Institute of Xavier University and its partners.]

Text and photo by Wilson J Hormeguera

The Governance and Leadership Institute (GLI) of Xavier University, in partnership with the Department of Health - Region 10 and the local government of Kinoguitan, Misamis Oriental, conducted a barangay leadership and governance training-workshop on October 15-16 at Kinoguitan’s Panabol Summer House.

The two-day training covered the the topics on the role of barangay governance in addressing health issues of the community, the functions of the Barangay Health Board, how to achieve effective communication and quality information, and understanding the Three Health Delays Model.

As a framework for examining maternal mortality, the Three Delays Model recognizes the different hurdles women face in achieving the effective medical care needed to prevent deaths occurring in pregnancy and childbirth.

The said model, according to Maternal Worldwide, identifies three major factors which may impede women and girls in accessing the levels of maternal health care which they need: (1) Delay in decision to seek care; (2) Delay in reaching care; and (3) Delay in receiving adequate health care.

The session drew together the barangay chairmen, councilors for health and barangay health workers of Kinoguitan. The development management officers of DOH-10 served as technical assistants of the training.

“We recognized the need to strengthen the barangays in order to better deliver our health services,” said Dr Siegfried Hector Razo, Kinoguitan’s municipal health officer. 

Municipal Mayor Danilo Lagbas was also present at the GLI training to show his support of the barangay initiatives.

Kinoguitan is a fifth class municipality in the province of Misamis Oriental with a population of 12,761 people based on the 2010 census.