Philippine Dental Association guidelines for infection prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic: Policy notes

@#The COVID-19 pandemic, as a global health concern, has affected worldwide medical practice.1 2 Medical services had to be altered—if not halted altogether—to adapt to drastic changes in infection control protocols.3 Dental practice is not spared from this development since dental health care practitioners (DHCP) are at increased risk of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.4 Most dental procedures generate significant amounts of droplets and aerosol, which could promote spread of COVID-19 infection.

The SPMC report card survey findings in 2019: Policy notes

@#Republic Act 9485, best known as the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA), was enacted in 2007 to improve government service delivery by promoting integrity and accountability and by properly managing public property and affairs. The ARTA aims to expedite transactions in government offices by simplifying procedures and by reducing red tape.1 In 2008, a program launched by the Civil Service Commision (CSC) as an initiative to implement the ARTA initiated the posting of a citizen’s charter (CC) in every government office that provides particular services to the public.2 A CC is a document that details, in a simplified manner, all relevant information regarding a government service and the steps needed to be undertaken to avail of that service.

Adequacy of PhilHealth case rate coverage for pneumonia among children under 5 years old admitted in a government hospital: Policy notes

@#Thirty-seven Filipino children die of pneumonia daily, and 90% of those who die are under 5 years old.1 More than 50% of childhood pneumonia is readily treatable with antibiotics; however, only 31% of children with pneumonia receive the antibiotics they need.2 From 2016 to 2018, pneumonia and acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) comprised the 3rd leading cause of morbidity in the Philippines across all age groups. In 2018, there were 213,611 reported cases of pneumonia and ALRTI among Filipino children <5 years old.3 In 2011, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) created case rate packages for selected medical procedures and medical conditions, including pneumonia. A case rate is a fixed amount that PhilHealth pays to a health care provider for the diagnostic and therapeutic care of a patient with a particular disease or condition. The case rates for moderate-risk and high-risk pneumonia are PHP 15,000 and PHP 32,000, respectively.4 PhilHealth also introduced a no-balance-billing (NBB) policy, applicable to all PhilHealth Sponsored Program members and/or their dependents when they seek health care in a government hospital for diseases or conditions included in the case rate packages. The policy provides that government hospitals shall not charge other fees or expenses beyond the case rate to patients covered by the policy.4 Given the high incidence of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (PCAP), policies that support current efforts in attaining adequate financial protection of patients--or their families--would certainly improve health outcomes related to the disease. The aim of this article is to recommend health policies based on the results of a study on health insurance coverage of patients with PCAP.

Experiences of child sexual abuse clients in a Women and Children Protection Unit: Policy notes

@#A survey done by the World Health Organization in 2014 revealed that only less than 10% of the survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) received any service—whether it be health, psychosocial, police, or legal.1 In Kenya and Haiti, only 13.4% of the girls and only 7% of the boys who experienced sexual abuse received health services, while in Swaziland, 24% of clients received health services.1 2 3 In several countries, one-stop centers were established to provide legal, medical and psychosocial services for survivors of child sexual abuse and violence in one location. These centers spare clients from visiting multiple institutions to seek help and from the trauma of retelling their personal ordeal to various individuals many times over.4 Psychosocial support is given by a social worker who assesses the client on the first interview. If the social worker detects any signs of abuse, the client is then escorted to an adjacent room where a child-friendly police officer would take care of the legal aspects of the case. A medical doctor performs a thorough physical examination in a separate room. Further special diagnostics and treatment are provided by the center. The staff of the centers must also have undergone appropriate training on the medicolegal aspects of handling clients who come to the center.5 In the Philippines, the establishment, operation, and maintenance of a Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU) was based on the Administrative Order 1-B s. 1997 of the Department of Health (DOH)6 and the Republic Act 9262 Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children (VAWC) Act of 2004 and its implementing rules and regulations.7 In 2008, the DOH then developed a set of standards for the structures and processes of WCPUs in the country.8