CAPIZ – The Department of Health (DOH) has officially launched the PuroKalusugan Program in this province as part of its strengthened campaign to deliver accessible and effective primary healthcare services, especially in unserved and underserved barangays.
In an interview, Joeffrey Espiritu, Public Information Officer of DOH-Capiz, explained that PuroKalusugan is the agency’s flagship program and a top priority of DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa. Its implementation is guided by Department Memorandum No. 2025-0024.
Espiritu emphasized that the program is a concrete measure under the Universal Healthcare Act, ensuring that every Filipino, even in the most remote purok, receives free and accessible medical services.
Through the program, healthcare services are delivered directly to communities via barangay health centers and gyms, and health personnel visits to individual puroks.
Currently, 133 DOH-deployed personnel are stationed in Capiz, including doctors to the barrio, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, nutritionists, and medical technologists — comprising the PuroKalusugan teams.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Provincial Health Office and various local health offices.
During its pilot phase, only 51 out of Capiz’s 473 barangays will initially benefit from the program. The DOH aims to expand coverage to all barangays by 2028.
The program will focus on eight key health priority areas which includes immunization, nutrition, maternal health, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), tuberculosis and HIV, road safety, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes, and cancer prevention and control, including hepatitis B management.
Espiritu also stressed the importance of monitoring and controlling notifiable and communicable diseases, urging communities to immediately report such cases to the DOH for timely intervention and containment.
PuroKalusugan is part of the DOH’s “Every Filipino, Feel Health” agenda, reaffirming the government’s commitment to inclusive, community-based, and accessible healthcare for all./PN
