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Imagine this: you’re living in a rural community, and the nearest health center is still a boat ride away. When you get to the health center, however, there are no medicines available. This is sadly a common conundrum in the Philippines. So how do we make health accessible, available, and acceptable for everyone? Dr. Fonsy Regala, Chief of the Program Implementation and Outreach Division of the Department of Health- Health Promotion Bureau, shares his experiences working both for communities at the grassroots level and working with communities at a national scale to make people-centered solutions.

If you would like to learn more about the community health promotion efforts of the Department of Health, check out their playbooks through this link: http://bit.ly/HPB_2021Playbooks

Keeping in mind the fundamental principle in economics that resources are finite, how do governments decide which health services to invest on? Join us with Dana S. Bayani, health economist and PhD student in the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health of the National University of Singapore as we discuss the importance of health technology assessment in ensuring health interventions and commodities are worth the price.

Modern problems require modern solutions, but in the realm of public health, how do we decide what makes the cut? Health regulation helps set the standard for the safety and quality of health care, and with the help of our guest, Lindsay Orsolino, and her experience in the Department of Health while handing the Health Regulations Team and the Food and Drug Administration, we can better understand how our COVID-19 laboratories came about and how that vaccine made it to your arm.

Bonus: Find discussions on mental health advocacy and the current work being done at the Department!

Can you really put a price on health? That’s where cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, and other types of similar analysis comes in. Putting a price tag is needed to know what health initiatives should be prioritized and even how it affects the economy too. Join us with Dr. Valerie Gilbert Ulep, Senior Research Fellow, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, as we discuss how this type of research work is done and the impact it has on our different health programs.

With internet access comes a wealth of information. So how can you effectively communicate your health agenda with your audience, and eventually, influence healthy behaviors? Join us with Dr. Meng Maddumba, Chief of the Behavioral Change and Social Mobilization Division of the Health Promotion Bureau as we discuss effective health communication, social determinants of health, and strategies in delivering COVID-19 facts to different types of audiences.

If there's one good thing that the COVID-19 pandemic did, it's highlighting the importance of epidemiology and disease surveillance. Everyday, Filipinos are on the edge of their seats waiting for how many cases, deaths, and recoveries are reported daily. Join us with Arianne M. Zamora, an epidemiologist, as we walk through her experience in the COVID-19 Unit of the DOH and how epidemiology is important not only in infectious diseases but also non-communicable diseases and injuries.