By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios
Photos and graphic from Diwata Paredes/USAID’s TB Platforms
USAID, together with the City Government of Marawi, Ministry of the Local Interior and Local Government (MILG) and Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) conducted its first online webinar about TB and COVID-19 Prevention held last May 29, 2020. for the Local Officials and Community Healthcare Workers.
Dubbed as “USAPANG DIBDIBAN”, the USAID’s TB Platforms led by its Chief of Party Dr. Marianne Calnan, shared how their project provides technical assistance to the City Health Office (CHO) in strengthening TB response amid the COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Christian Villacorte, MDRTB/PCC Specialist of USAID’s TB Platforms presented the latest guidelines on infection prevention and control and shared some possible local actions that will help ensure the protection of TB and COVID-19 frontliners.
Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra welcomed all online participants and expressed full support to USAID especially to the continuous provision of TB services and treatment in health centers and hospitals amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
With the challenges faced by the local government unit, one of their concern was how to protect their frontliners – government officials distributing relief goods to communities and healthcare workers serving in TB centers which are now converted as COVID-19 centers. Mayor Gandamra cited that under his leadership, he requested donations of personal protective equipment (PPEs) from government agencies and the private sector to ensure that they address infection prevention and control measures.
“COVID-19 has affected all of us here in Marawi. Marawi residents have gone so many battles but this one is different because COVID-19 deaths around the world explain that we need to face this virus and respond locally before it hits us,” the Mayor of Marawi City said.
“This is why I welcome the support of USAID in strengthening our TB response like educating us on how to implement strict infection prevention and control in our barangays and health facilities. It is timely and truly commendable,” Mayor Gandamra added.
For his part, MILG Minister Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, he shared that MILG acknowledges Marawi City’s initiatives for both TB and COVID-19 response. He commended Marawi local officials and community health workers’ dedication especially serving beyond work hours reaching out to Marawi residents in relief operations as well as monitoring TB patients on treatment. The Community quarantine hindered TB patients and their families to visit the health facilities. TB nurse coordinators and barangay health workers volunteered to distribute the one-month advance supply of TB medicines.
“Supported by the City Health Office, the LGU should spearhead local initiatives to provide TB treatment amid COVID-19, highlighting the need to practice infection prevention and control which include the necessary PPEs, social distancing, and proper hygiene at all times,” he cited.
He also pointed out that LGUs are tasked to ensure that the community receives all the necessary support, especially on health concerns. “If TB patients are of higher risk to get infected by COVID-19, all the more that local governments should respond immediately,” Atty. Sinarimbo concluded.
BTA Member of the Parliament Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph shared that her office is grateful to be part of this webinar. She stressed that it is important to put the health and safety of Marawi residents.
“We are extremely grateful for the hard work, effort, and the heroic tasks that our health workers do every day to save lives in our community. Their work in preventing, controlling, and treating many members of the community of tuberculosis, down from the barangays in this time of COVID-19 along with your compassion is really inspiring,” Atty. Dandamun-Latiphshe added.
“Now that we need to face the new normal, instead of resisting change, we must embrace and learn to creatively live with the pandemic. This means that our communities must likewise embrace the new normal to better protect our family and environment,” she added.
During her solidarity message, she highlighted the generous support of USAID to Marawi City in the fight against TB and expressed sincere gratefulness in the ongoing remote mentoring initiatives of USAID’s TB Platforms.
“This webinar is helpful for the LGU and community health workers as they respond to TB and COVID-19 challenges. In my limited capacity, we will make sure that our office will find ways to support information dissemination of infection prevention and control for both TB and COVID-19 and will include sustainable TB treatment and services in my legislative agenda,” she ended.
USAID’s TB Platforms, implemented by University Research Co. (URC) LLC., has been collaborating with the Marawi City Government since 2018 as part of USAID’s support to the Department of Health’s National Tuberculosis Program. The project provided capacity-building workshops for more than 600 community health workers and equipped them in the conduct of TB screening and contract tracing for all barangays in the city under the COME ALIVE (Communicating and Mentoring Effectively using Ask, Listen, Inform, Verify and Engage) strategy, a social and behavior change approach launched in 2019.
USAID’s TB Platforms in Marawi City is led by Field Operations Area Manager Dr/ Zhamir Umag. The project is directly working with the City Health Office along with the local TB Council which is about to pass its first TB Ordinance in the next months. Last week, USAID’s TB Platforms launch its TB Patrol, another social behavior change campaign using a multicab vehicle which will ply in major roads of all barangays sharing basic information on TB and COVID-19 updates.
For Diwata de Castro-Paredes, USAID’s TB Platforms Social and Behavior Change Communications Specialist, she said, “We will continue to work with various media networks and publications for public outreach related to TB and COVID-19 in Lanao del Sur.”
“At the same time, we hope that we will be able to cascade this information in other platforms such as information dissemination drive in the cinemas, TV networks, and hopefully find celebrity ambassadors for the #TBFreePh campaign which aims to find and treat Filipinos of tuberculosis and reduce the stigma of the disease,” de Castro-Paredes concluded.
USAID’s TB Platforms is also collaborating with public and private institutions for the implementation of TB response amid COVID-19 in workplace settings as some cities transition from modified community quarantine to general community quarantine starting June 1. USAID’s TB Platforms will continue to provide technical assistance packages for LGUs and health facilities as part of USAID Philippines’ support to the Department of Health National Tuberculosis Program. This includes sharing of digital tools or mobile health applications dubbed as ConnecTB which helps community healthcare workers monitor treatment adherence of TB patients and monitor adverse drug reactions to be able to provide proper care and treatment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
