April 30, 2019 — Two programs of the Philippine General Hospital were among the five programs in three UP constituent universities that got the Third Gawad Pangulo for Excellence in Public Service in a ceremony held on February 28, 2019 in the College of Science Auditorium, National Science Complex, UP Diliman.
These are the Partners in Leprosy Action (PILA) of the Department of Medicine and Patient-Centered, Family-Focused, and Community-Oriented Care for Families Enrolled at the Family Health Unit (FHU) of the Department of Family and Community Medicine.
The other awardees were the UP Los Baños Bee Program of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension; the Disaster Risk Reduction, Training , Education, and Advocacy for Children’s Protection and Resilience Project (TEACH-DRR) of UP Visayas Center for West Visayan Studies; and the Dayaw at Hanasan of the UPV Sentro ng Wikang Filipino.
The five were selected out of 11 nominees by a selection committee composed of UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia, Professor Emeritus of Sociology Manuel Flores Bonifacio, Dr. Jaime Veneracion of the UP Diliman Department of History, and Padayon Public Service Office Director Jeanette Yasol-Naval.
According to President Danilo Concepcion, being a public servant is “perhaps the most honorable profession ever anywhere,” providing an opportunity for improving the lives of many. He then extended the definition of excellent public service to an attitude of treating the public as “boss”. “We must serve with a smile, with open hands, and gentle words,” he said in Filipino.
“Public service initiatives, especially the brand that characterizes the University of the Philippines, are implemented with high ethical standards, professionalism, and service to the country,” Pernia said. “We must do projects that innovate, that are significant, progressive, and transformative. In the three years of the award, 21 public service initiatives have been recognized for excellence from a pool of over 50 nominations,” she stated.
The PGH program on leprosy screens households in locations with reported cases of leprosy and other skin neglected tropical diseases, providing community awareness and training for barangay health units. Headed by Dr. Belen Dofitas, the PILA is a project of the Philippine Leprosy Mission which was awarded by the WHO as one of the top 24 projects in the Southern Hemisphere countries (Asia, Latin America, Africa) out of 179 applicants for the Social Innovation in Health initiatives.
The program for family health provides comprehensive medical and psychosocial care for families with chronic diseases, developmental disabilities, lifestyle and wellness issues, mental health, alcohol/smoking/substance issues, through its individual and family interventions. The family health unit is an avenue for collaborations with other specialties and allied health professions, thus promoting inter-professionalism. With reports from UP System.
