USAID, Phil. Heart Center collaborate for 1st hospital-wide webinar

By Ruel B. Francisco June 13, 2020 The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) TB Platfoms Project led by Chief of ...

By Ruel B. Francisco
June 13, 2020


The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) TB Platfoms Project led by Chief of Party, Dr. Marianne Calnan launched the 1st hospital-wide webinar for the Philippine Heart Center's (PHC) medical team, hospital nurses and administrative staff. (Photo & caption: USAID TB Platforms Project)


TRECE MARTIRES, Cavite - After conducting the 1st ever webinar participated in by Cavite's Local Chief Executives, the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) TB Platfoms Project led by Chief of Party, Dr. Marianne Calnan launched the 1st hospital-wide webinar for the Philippine Heart Center's (PHC) medical team, hospital nurses and administrative staff.

Dr. Abanilla, Executive Director of the PHC welcomed the participants that reached an overwhelming number of around 800 employees, and highlighted that, "This partnership with USAID's TB Platforms Project is one of the initiatives that aims to promote health education and to protect our employees from TB and Covid-19."



Meanwhile, Dr. Hansel Ybañez, USAID's TB Platforms' Field Operations Manager for the National Capital Region (NCR) collaborated with PHC's Infection Control Committee (ICC) for the conduct of a special session to discuss the project's activities supporting the Department of Health's TB response amid COVID-19.

On the other hand, the Infection Protection and Control (IPC) guidelines for healthcare workers and hospital staff were deliberated on by Dr. Christian Villacorte, the project's MDRTB and Patient Centered Care (PCC) Specialist.



"TB remains the world's top infectious disease but COVID-19 is highlighting how vulnerable people with TB culd easily be infected," stated Villacorte and further stressed that, "Despite the differences in the mode of TB and COVID-19 transmission, there are certain measures relevant to both diseases."

He added that, "Usual precautions to protect healthcare workers from TB must continue along with additional actions to protect them from COVID-19."

During the program, the USAID'd TB Platforms' team enthusiastically shared the recent studies for TB and COVID-19 as well as the common IPC measures applicable during this pandemic.

Also, clarifications on the importance of the use of N95 masks at work and in public places and on recent guidelines detailing how to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19 while they are literally exposed to those who are asymptomatic of the virus were given light on.

Similarly, PHC ICC team led by Ms. Karen Isip shared how the management provides personal protective equipment (PPEs) to their frontliners, and explained the latest COVId-19 cases and updates to their employees using their institutional accounts and official media platforms. They also include the practice of regular debriefing as needed.

With the wide range of challenges that the hospital staff are facing and the high risk for the COVID infection they assume every time they on duty, Dr. Abanilla stressed that educating them with the IPC measures give them hope that prevention is still better than the cure.

USAID's TB Platforms Project's recent activities in partnership with the Philippine Information Agency aside from las month's province-wide seminar on IPC in the province of Cavite and Tarlac, they also joined PIA-Calabarzon on their radio program 'PIA Ngayon' hosted by PIA-Information Officer IV Mr. Carlo Gonzaga, and will be working with PIA and the Photojournalists' Center of the Philippines (PCP) in documenting continuous provision of TB sservices amid the COVID-19 in all its demonstration sites.

Likewise, Ms. Diwata de Castro-Paredes, the projects' Social and Behavior Change Communication Specialist is also working with public and private radio stations for localized regional discussions on IPC measures on TB and COVID-19, sharing of strengthened local health governance initiatives, promotion of health applications being used to promote continuous TB treatment amid the pandemic. (Ruel Francisco, PIA-Cavite with report from USAID TB Platforms Project)