In the year 2004, the Department of Health (DOH) intensified its advocacy campaign and health education trough different media and has strengthened its quarantine functions and international heath surveillance for emerging disease of infections like the avian flu and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

In its program to expand PhilHealth enrollees, the DOH had increased to 78 percent of the members covered by the National Health Insurance Program, which is quite near the 85 percent universal coverage benchmark.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s pledge of enrolling 50, 000 urban poor beneficiaries in PhilHealth by the end of June 2002 served as the catalysts for massive enrollment.

Responding to call of the President to address the needs of the poor in drug price reduction, the DOH launched the “Gamot na Mabisa at Abot-Kaya” project.

Using parallel drug imports of 42 drugs, including anti-hypertensive and anti-biotic, the DOH achieve an average of 50 percent price reduction. These medicines are now being sold in 72 DOH hospitals and three LGU hospitals.

In the Prevention of Diseases and Epidemics under the Tuberculosis Control Program, the DOH has made civil societies and organizations, such as the Rotary Club, play a pivotal role in strengthening the Rabies Prevention and Control Program, which was launched specifically in Metro Manila.

The DOH also launched the National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign last Feb. 16, 2003 at the Luneta Grandstand.

The national government, thru the DOH, has continued to implement the principles of responsible parenthood, respect for life and birth spacing or interval of pregnancies.

In child health, the DOH has mobilized the expanded program on immunization. It has launched the Philippine follow-up measles campaign through mass measles vaccination, was conducted last February 2004.

The Japanese government has generously provided fund support for the campaign and donated all the measles vaccines, syringes and safety boxes amounting to US$7.8 million, while the World Health Organization (WHO) provided the technical assistance, and vaccine freezer. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provided technical assistance and printing measles guidelines.

The Garantisadong Pambata (Pre-schoolers’ Week Campaign) is an annual campaign held twice a year in April and October. The campaign serves to highlight the routine health services for children who missed their routine services on immunization, Vitamin A supplementation, weighing, oral-health and other services.