• The Leaders for Health Program Tackles the Brain Drain Issue
• LHP Featured on “Executive Musings”
• INVESTING IN PEOPLE, REAPING THE RETURNS

The Leaders for Health Program Tackles the Brain Drain Issue

With recent talks arising from the old issue of doctor migration and the ensuing shortage of medical practitioners in the Philippines today, fresh insights and new discussions are being spearheaded by a group of doctors, who, in the face of more opportunities abroad, have decided to stay and serve in the country's poorest communities.

Twenty-six (26) doctors from all over the country-ranging from Batanes to Zamboanga-have come to Manila to organize a timely symposium on the issue of "Migration of Health Workers Out of the Philippines" to be held on August 30 at the Ampitheather of the Ateneo Professional Schools campus in Rockwell, Makati.

These 26 doctors are also part of Ateneo's own breakthrough systemic health sector reform initiative, the Leaders for Health Program (LHP). Under the program, the doctors concurrently take their Masters in Community Health Management (MCHM) course at the AGSB while serving in 5th and 6th class municipalities all over the country. The up-coming symposium is part of the doctor-students' Policy and Advocacy course as MCHM students.

Esteemed guests at the symposium include Dr. Jose Sabili, President of the Philippine Medical Association; Cong. Janette L. Garin, MD, of the 1st District of Iloilo; Hon. Benglen Ecleo, Mayor of San Jose, Dinagat Province; and Mr. Emmanuel Urbano.

The event promises to be full of learning that will affect not just the medical industry in the country, but inevitably, the health of every Filipino.

Migration of Health Workers Out of the Philippines
August 30, 2007, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Amphitheater, Ateneo Professional Schools,
Rockwell, Makati City

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LHP Featured on “Executive Musings”

Last Easter Sunday, April 9, 2007, the radio show Executive Musings interviewed LHP's Director for Academics, Atty. Vincent Edward V. Festin. LHP proudly announces that it has been chosen by the show as their core advocacy

Executive Musings is hosted by Lu S. Moguel and features prominent business icons and noteworthy personalities that talk about topics that range from marketplace ethics, personal development, and nation-building

To read more about Executive Musing's advocacy on LHP as well as to listen to the interview, visit http://executivemusings.com/archive.aspx

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INVESTING IN PEOPLE, REAPING THE RETURNS:
The Leaders for Health Program Graduates Its First Batch

Eleven municipalities spanning the Eastern Visayas to Surigao del Norte took their last step as students under the program and emerged as empowered leaders of their communities.

Last August 25, 2006, the Leaders for Health Program (LHP) celebrated another milestone in its 4-year history.

That evening, it was the efforts of the Mayors and Community Leaders that were recognized as they graduated with a Certificate in Public Health Management from the Ateneo de Manila University. Earlier this year, each municipality's doctor also graduated with a Masters Degree in Community Health Management. These educational attainments capped off the rigorous four-year training the tri-leaders had to undergo to complete the program. The tri-leader system is just one of the program's many innovations: a collaborative unit of the three main decision-makers in a community's health-the local chief executive, the doctor, and the community leaders.

The graduation was held in the presence of Dr. Alfredo Bengzon, the program's Principal; Secretary Duque of the Department of Health; Mr. Gerry Bacarro, Pfizer's Regional Director for Asia; Dr. Marife Yap of the Ateneo Health Unit; and Dr. Raymundo Baquiran, Program Director of LHP. Father Ben Nebres of Ateneo de Manila University and Dr. Dayrit of the World Health Organization also congratulated the graduates by way of a filmed message.

Far from being a culminating event, the graduation served as a send-off for each of the eleven municipalities. Each municipality will be embarking on a greater task ahead: sustaining the gains they have worked so hard for in the last four years.

The past four years have been marked by challenges and victories, each one valuable in reshaping the health landscape of the nation at a local, organic level. At the heart of the transformation is the Leaders for Health Program, a unique concept that has evolved into a model of sustainability, offering endless possibilities for change and growth beyond the field of health.

The program's cornerstone is the belief that health is not the private island of the medical community, but rather, the common interest of the entire municipality. Unless there is enlightened and active participation by the individual to compliment the expertise of the medical professional, there can be no change in health outcomes. This powerful paradigm-shift where everyone saw themselves as stakeholders in their community's health, instead of mere recipients of healthcare was the spark that led to the transformation of the eleven sites of Batch 1.

As one mayor puts it, the Leaders for Health Program is a leadership academy that grills not just their outward perspectives, but saturates their personal beings in values and the true meaning of service.

And what has this "leadership academy" developed in the past four years?

Today, these 11 municipalities are now cognizant that health is simply not about medicines and doctors. It's about their active participation in prevention-a mindset transformation that is at the core of LHP.

Much remains to be done. There are still 66 provinces, 1,457 municipalities to cover. The journey continues as LHP builds new partnerships, enhances existing ones, and increases the number of dedicated doctors, mayors, and communities who will produce new generations of leaders for health.