I’ve always loved study tours and workshops. Apart from learning new things, I got to travel and experience a different place and culture.
But when you’re part of the team to host the study tour, things are quite different. You’ll have some sleepless nights, jittery moments and plenty things up on your sleeves. This was what happened when Benguet Province hosted a 5 day health study tour and inception workshop for the Abra delegation. A Cordillera Administrative Region Province like Benguet, Abra sent a delegation that consisted of the Sangguniang Bayan on Health, Municipal Health Officers, Chief of Hospitals, Abra Provincial Health Office representatives, Public Health Nurses, Rural Health Midwives, and Department of Health representatives.
The Abra participants arrived on Febuary 22, 2010, were billeted at the Hotel Henrico, Baguio City.They started their study tour after a courtesy call to the Governor the following day. They learned the demographics of their host province at the Benguet Provincial Health Office. Their learning experience on Inter-local Health Zones (ILHZ) started with the history and development of the BLIISTT ILHZ. Consequently, they toured the core referral hospital, Benguet General Hospital Economic Enterpise (BeGHEE).
On February 24, they travelled to Atok District Hospital and Abatan Emergency Hospital where they learned the good practices of the Mt. Trail ILHZ and visited 3 RHUs. They had a brief learning experience at Tublay RHU and met with the Mayor. At Mankayan RHU they learned the importance of a systematic recording keeping and from each counterpart during a peer approach sharing experience. At Buguias RHU they saw a three-in-one PhilHealth accredited facility as an Out Patient Benefit Package, Maternal Child Package and Tuberculosis-Directly Observed Treatment Short Course Chemotherapy facility.
On their 4th day, they discovered the best practices from the 4 ILHZ of the Benguet Province utilizing a presentation and discussion method and open forum. Interestingly, an overview of the replication process and the history on the development of the four Benguet ILHZ were presented. After that, the four ILHZ presented with pride their most significant accomplishment. Mt.Trail ILHZ discussed the replication process of the Common Health Trust Fund (CHTF). The CHTF was a project replicated from a similar study tour in 2007 in Southern Leyte. It had been successfully replicated and institutionalized in all the ILHZ. BLIIIST shared their experiences in establishing the two way referral system. KKK ILHZ presented the gains from their 1st health summit while BKD ILHZ traced the beginnings of their highly successful drug revolving fund.
As a result of this knowledge, the Abra delegation formulated their plans at replication and disclosed what they learned and loved about the health study tour and inception workshop.
Needless to say, everyone involved with the hosting gave a sigh of relief at the amazingly successful first ever health study tour and inception workshop.
The most significant factor of its success is rooted in its relationship to the overall implementation of the 5 year JICA funded, “Project of Strengthening of the Health Systems of the Province of Benguet.” Benguet health workers wouldn’t have anything to show and boast if the project hasn’t been solidly fulfilling its targeted goals and outputs. Hence, its success mirrors the progress of the project in accomplishing its objectives.
There would be some more accomplishments as the projects rolls on to its final year. More study tours and inception workshops are in the offing to share what Benguet has learned in the process of implementing the myriad outputs, activities and strategies of the project. As the projects ends, it will be a fitting tribute to everyone especially the health workers, the SSC-JICA personnel and local officials who sweated it out to make the project one beautiful masterpiece.
