118,459
edits
Difference between revisions of "Southern Leyte News"
→1st zoo in Eastern Visayas opens in Maasin City
| Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
---- | ---- | ||
<!--- DO NOT EDIT ABOVE THIS LINE ---> | <!--- DO NOT EDIT ABOVE THIS LINE ---> | ||
==Affordable health services for 700,000 Filipinos== | |||
*Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/columnist1/21944-affordable-health-services-for-700000-filipinos | |||
*Sunday, April 29, 2012 | |||
:by RANDOM JOTTINGS | |||
LOW income families living in the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar in the Eastern Visayas region will soon have increased access to affordable maternal health services, thanks to the World Bank which – acting as administrator for the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA) – has approved a grant of US$3.6 million towards the project. | |||
The project will be implemented over a 4-year period by Population Services Pilipinas Incorporated (PSPI) supported by Marie Stopes International Australia (MSIA), established providers of maternal and child health care in the Philippines since 1990. About 145,000 poor families (an estimated 700,000 individuals) are expected to benefit through subsidized access to services including birth delivery and pre- and post-natal care. | |||
The National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) has a mandate to provide universal health insurance coverage to all Filipinos and a solution is needed for the large numbers of indigent and informal sector workers that remain excluded from social health insurance coverage. A 2010 Philippine Health Sector Review found that reforms in the past decades have improved overall health outcomes; however, disparities in access to quality health services and health insurance coverage remain an issue for the poor. | |||
The GPOBA-funded scheme explicitly targets the poor to help address some of the barriers to their access to quality health services, with a 3-part approach: accreditation of 45 service providers in the project area to ensure improved quality of care and the capacity to meet increased demand; enrolment of about 145,000 families, identified and determined as poor by the National Household Targeting System, to ensure that the project reaches those who need it most; and a subsidized voucher scheme to bridge the gap between co-payments charged by health service providers and the amount that target project beneficiaries can afford to pay for approved services. | |||
“This output-based aid scheme supports the new government’s reform agenda to achieve universal access to health care,” said Motoo Konishi, World Bank Country Director for the Philippines. “The project also makes access to quality health services affordable through the subsidized voucher component and more inclusive by explicitly targeting the poor.” | |||
The project will address barriers to health service access by expanding insurance coverage of the poor and by supporting the upgrade of additional service providers in order to meet the national Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) accreditation requirements. | |||
Consistent with the OBA approach, GPOBA will retain an independent verification agent to verify output delivery, including service provider upgrading, and that pre-agreed targets have been met by the project partners before subsidy payments are made. Independent verification makes aid more transparent by linking payment to the delivery of specific services or “outputs.” | |||
“We are enthusiastic about using an innovative approach, as part of a joint effort with PhilHealth, to meet the needs of a population that cannot afford to pay for access to basic health services and to support the government’s commitment to reducing maternal and infant mortality,” said Virgilio Pernito, Chief Executive Officer of PSPI. | |||
Globally, more than 350,000 women die each year due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications. For the Philippines, this initiative is an important step towards the goal of reducing maternal mortality rates to 52 deaths per 100,000 live births, although past experience suggests that goal may be difficult to attain. | |||
This program is in direct response to the Philippine government’s commitment to pilot interventions that improve the health outcomes, particularly the maternal and reproductive health status, of poor populations. | |||
==Slow growth alarms Eastern Visayas bizmen== | |||
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2012/04/28/slow-growth-alarms-eastern-visayas-bizmen-218692 | |||
*Saturday, April 28, 2012 | |||
:by (Sunnex/(Leyte Samar Daily Express)) | |||
MACROHON, Southern Leyte -- Local business chambers are concerned over the slow growth of Eastern Visayas’ gross regional development product (GRDP) and its per capita income, which is lower than its neighboring regions. | |||
Robert Castañares, president of the Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), said they wonder why there has been a consistent decline of GRDP growth momentum between 2004 and 2009. | |||
“The National Government is actively involved in social services and infrastructure programs but not that much in economic development. That partly explained why in 2004 to 2009 our economy has not improved and poverty incidence has gone up,” Castañares told participants of the 2nd Eastern Visayas Regional Business Conference held in Kuting Reef here this week. | |||
Citing latest available data from the National Government agencies, the business group disclosed that from 5.2 percent GRDP growth in 2004, it went down to 1.8 percent in 2009. The growth rate recorded in 2009 is way below than the 6.3 percent target. | |||
The region’s per capita income is only P7,400 just half of Western Visayas’ P14,500 and Central Visayas’ P15,300. The National Capital Region’s per capita is P38,600. | |||
==1st zoo in Eastern Visayas opens in Maasin City== | ==1st zoo in Eastern Visayas opens in Maasin City== | ||
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291335494267 | *Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1291335494267 | ||
| Line 63: | Line 124: | ||
SLCCI President Castañares was grateful for the realization of one of the tourism hubs in Southern Leyte, saying that, “the local economy can benefit through building this major tourism hub in the province.” He was pleased with the visitors who came from other parts of region 8 for them to observe while the zoo is still under construction. | SLCCI President Castañares was grateful for the realization of one of the tourism hubs in Southern Leyte, saying that, “the local economy can benefit through building this major tourism hub in the province.” He was pleased with the visitors who came from other parts of region 8 for them to observe while the zoo is still under construction. | ||
The 30-hectare park is located in the 500-hectare Danao Forest Reserve in the upland barangay of Malapoc Norte, 14-kilometer away from the city proper and situated 335 meters above sea level. (ldl/rgc-PIA 8, Southern Leyte) | The 30-hectare park is located in the 500-hectare Danao Forest Reserve in the upland barangay of Malapoc Norte, 14-kilometer away from the city proper and situated 335 meters above sea level. (ldl/rgc-PIA 8, Southern Leyte) | ||
==DENR-8 finalizes Biodiversity Assessment of REDD+ Pilot Area and Mt. Nacolod in SoLeyte== | ==DENR-8 finalizes Biodiversity Assessment of REDD+ Pilot Area and Mt. Nacolod in SoLeyte== | ||