A collaboration to rebuild health centers in rural communities
In addressing social issues, collaboration and collective compassion among organizations go a long way in uplifting communities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes health care as a fundamental social issue. Health care is a key “social determinant” for each country, emphasizing its important role in achieving health equity and promoting well-being for all individuals.
While the WHO aims to bridge the gap, it can only do as much. Thus, it mobilizes citizens on the ground to help fortify the country’s health system.
La Libertad Primary Care Facility (PCF), for instance, serves a population of 41,000 individuals in 13 barangays. Oftentimes, these facilities lack the capacity to renovate, especially after being struck by natural calamities.
Eleanor Acabo, branch head of BDO Network Bank Negros Oriental-Guihulngan branch, recalls the dire circumstances of La Libertad PCF.
“The building was worn down. The waiting room was cramped, the paint was peeling off and the environment wasn’t conducive to recovery,” she narrates.
The primary care facility serves as the first line of defense of communities. Patients go there for outpatient consultations, maternal and child health services, preventive care and health education, basic laboratory and diagnostic services, minor emergency care and wound management, family planning and reproductive health counseling, among many others.
Acabo says it was inspiring to witness that amid the scarcity of resources, the health-care professionals were still working nonstop to provide the best care for their constituents.
“The contrast between the staff’s commitment and the facility’s condition was deeply moving. It seemed unfair, and we realized at that moment that this facility was the one that needed support the most. This compelled us to recommend the facility to BDO Foundation and advocate for their inclusion in their rehabilitation program,” she adds.
RHU program
The Sy family-led BDO Unibank, through its corporate social responsibility arm BDO Foundation, is constantly on the lookout for public health centers to assist through its Rural Health Unit (RHU) rehabilitation program.
A series of discussions between BDO Foundation and the local government to renovate the health facility followed.
In less than three months, the PCF in La Libertad transformed into a more welcoming, safer and more functional space for health-care workers and patients. These improvements, Acabo says, created an environment that’s conducive to health and wellness, affirming the position of the facility as a community pillar.
Enhancements include comfortable waiting areas, sufficient lighting and ventilation, improved treatment areas and better accessibility for both patients and health-care workers.
The foundation also added a play area for kids and a private breastfeeding area for nursing mothers—common features at bigger health centers to ensure that all kinds of patients are comfortable.
Lending a helping hand through BDO Foundation inspired Acabo to find new ways to be more involved in community work that can “positively impact the people and make real contributions to the development of our country.”
“I learned how determination and collaboration can be powerful … This initiative reaffirmed the importance of dedication and optimism. When individuals unite with the same goal, they can overcome any challenges that come their way and create something truly transformative,” she says.
Across the archipelago
BDO Foundation’s long-standing program, which focuses on the rehabilitation of health centers, has renovated more than 210 rural health units across the country.
And their work is far from over as the organization continuously seeks out new facilities to rehabilitate through the support of BDO and BDO Network bank branches.
Last February, BDO Foundation turned over four newly rehabilitated RHUs for the benefit of more than 96,000 Filipinos in several parts of Luzon and the Visayas. Among these are two health facilities in Capiz (Ivisan Rural Health Unit and Birthing Facility and Sapian Rural Health Unit and Birthing Clinic), Abra (Peñarrubia Rural Health Clinic) and Bohol (Pilar Rural Health Unit).
Founded in 2008, BDO Foundation, the philanthropic arm of BDO Unibank, aims to address social problems and the needs of the underserved.
Mario Deriquito, president of BDO Foundation, says that the social development efforts of the foundation has always been part of BDO’s ways of doing business. “The organization of the foundation just formalized the bank’s efforts to contribute to community and national development in ways that go beyond what it does as a business entity,” he explains.
Through the RHU rehabilitation program, Deriquito says that the foundation wants to extend a helping hand to the Department of Health (DOH) to strengthen its primary health-care delivery system at the grassroots level. “Through this effort, we hope to contribute to the DOH’s efforts in delivering universal health care,” he adds.
Aside from rehabilitating health centers, BDO Foundation also conducts financial education programs aligned with the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The foundation offers financial education to employees and constituents alongside training of trainers and support for the initial rollout. This intends to increase the financial literacy of Filipinos.
Disaster response is also part of its advocacy.
