History of Public Health in the Philippines + Complete Notes on Community Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Nutrition & Environmental Health

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HISTORY.OF.PUBLIC.HEALTH.IN.THE.PHILIPPINES


Public.Health

• Ecological.in.perspective,.multi-.sectoral.in.scope.and.collaborative.in.strategy
• It.aims.to.improve.the.health.of.community.through.an.organized. community.effort

History.of.Public.Health.in.the.Philippines.based.on.socio-political.periods

1. Pre-American.Occupation.(up.to.1898)
2. American.Military.Government.(1898-1907)
3. Philippine.Assembly.(1907-1916)
4. The.Jones.Law.(1916-1936)
5. The. Commonwealth(1936-1941)
6. Japanese. Occupation. (1941-1945)
7. Post.World.War.II.(1945-1972)
8. Martial.Law.Years.(1972-1986)
9. Post.EDSA.Revolution.(1986.to.present)

I. .PRE-AMERICAN.OCCUPATION

• Public.health.works.began.at.the.old.Franciscan.Convent.in.Intramuros.where.Fr..Jua
n.Clemente.put.up.a.dispensary.in.1577.for.treating.indigents.in.Manila..This.eventuall
y.became.the.San.Juan.de.Dios.Hospital
• During.Spanish.time:
1. Creation.of.Board.of.Vaccinators.to.prevent.smallpox
2. Creation.of.Board.of.Health
3. Construction.of.Carriedo.Waterworks
4. First.Medical.School.in.the.Philippines.–.UST
5. School.of.Midwifery
6. Public.Health.Laboratory
7. Forensic.Medicine
• Hospitals.before.the.Americans.came.to.Philippines:
1. General.Hospitals
a. San.Juan.de.Dios.Hospital
b. Chinese.General.Hospital
c. Hospicio.de.San.Jose.in.Cavite
d. Casa.dela.Caridad.in.Cebu
e. Enfermeria.de.Santa.Cruz.in.Laguna
2. Contagious.Hospitals
a. San.Lazaro.Hospital
b. Hospital.de.Palestina.in.Camarines.Sur
c. Hospital.delos.Leprosos.in.Cebu
d. Hospital.de.Argencina.in.Manila.for.smallpox.and.cholera
3. Military.Hospitals
a. Hospital.Militar.de.Manila
b. Hospital.Militar.de.Zamboanga




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4. Naval.Hospitals
a. Hospital.dela.Marie.in.Cebu
b. Hospital.de.Basilan
5. Other.hospitals/Asylums
a. Hospicio.de.San.Pascual.Baylon.in.Manila
b. Asylum.of.St..Vincent.de.Paul.in.Manila.for.poor.girls
c. Hospital.of.San.Jose.for.orphaned.children.and.mentally.ill

II. .AMERICAN.MILITARY.GOVERNMENT

• Control.of.epidemics.such.as.cholera,.smallpox.and.plague
• Fight. against.communicable.diseases.such.as.leprosy,.diarrhea,.malaria,.be
ri-beri
• Projects.and.activities:
1. Established.a.garbage.crematory
2. Approved.the.first.sanitary.ordinance.and.rat.control
3. Amoebic.dysentery.–
.caused.by.contaminated.water.and.unclean.vegetables,.and.malaria.–

.Anopheles.minismus.flavirotris.was.pointed.out.as.vector

4. Cholera.vaccine.was.first.tried
5. Confirmed.that.plague.in.man.comes.from.infected.rat
6. Opened.a.leper.colony.in.Culion
7. Founded.the.Manila.Medical.Society.and.Philippine.Island.Medical.As
sociation
8. Opened.the.UP.College.of.Medicine
9. Established.Bureau.of.Science

III. .PHILIPPINE.ASSEMBLY

• New.waterworks.in.Manila.was.inaugurated.to.control.cholera
• Nursing.students.at.Philippine.Normal.School
• Hygiene.and.Physiology.were.included.in.curriculum.of.public.elementary.school
• Anti-TB.campaign.was.started
• Philippine.Tuberculosis.Society.was.organized
• Pasteur.prophylaxis.treatment.against.rabies.was.offered
• Opening.of.the.Philippine.General.Hospital.(PGH)
• Use.of.anti-typhoid.vaccine.was.initiated
• Hypochlorite.of.lime.was.first.used.for.treating.the.water.supply.of.Manila
• Etiology.of.Amoebic.dysentery.was.made.clear
• Dry.vaccine.against.smallpox.was.first.used

IV. .JONES.LAW.YEARS

• Retrogression.rather.than.progression.in.so.far.as.the.health.was.concern
1. Increase.CDR
2. Increase.IMR
3. Increase.Morbidity
• Increased.deaths.from.smallpox,.cholera,.typhoid,.malaria,.beriberi.and.TB
• Re-organization.happened.(re-
organized.the.health.service.and.encouraged.effective.supervision




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1. Study.the.cause.and.prevalence.of.typhoid.fever
2. The. composition,. value. and. vitamin. distribution. of. many. Philippine. foods.wer
e.studied
3. Schick.test.was.used.to.determine.the.cases.of.diphtheria
4. Campaign.against.Hookworm.was.launched
5. Anti-dysentery.vaccine.was.first.tried
6. The.roles.of.seafood.in.transmission.of.cholera.and.the.pollution.of.fishing. sector.
to.typhoid.were.studied
7. First.training.course.for.sanitary.inspector.was.given
8. Women.and.child.labor.law.was.passed
9. The.mechanism.of.transmission.of.dengue.fever.through.Aedes.aegypti.was.stud
ied
10. Construction.of.Novaliches.dam
11. Establishment.of.school.of.Hygiene.and.Public.Health
12. National.Research.Council.of.the.Philippines.was.organized
13. BS.in.Education.major.in.Health.Education.was.opened.in.UP
14. Philippine.Public.Health.Association.(PPHA).was.organized

V. .THE.COMMONWEALTH.PERIOD

• Process.of.gaining.and.maintaining.altitude.(because.the.later.years.under.Jones.La
w.was.successful)
• The. epidemiology. of. life. threatening. diseases.was. studied. –
. diphtheria,. yaws,.dengue

• Research.in.the.field.of.health.was.promoted
• UP.School.of.Public.Health.was.established.to.train.public.health.leaders
• Construction.of.additional.leprosaria.and.provincial.hospitals
• Construction.of.Quezon.Institute. for.PTB.patients
• Research.and.control.of.TB,.malaria,.leprosy.and.yaws
• Development.of.Maternal.and.Child.Health.(MCH)
• 1939,.creation.of.Department.of.Public.Health.and.Welfare.–
.Dr..Jose.Fabella.as.the.first.secretary

• 1940,.Bureau.of.Census.and.Statistics.was.created.to.gather.vital.statistics
• In.spite.of.development.:
1. Inequitable.distribution.of.health.services.remained.a.problem
2. 80%.of.those.who.died.were.never.given.medical.attention

VI. .JAPANESE.OCCUPATION

• During.this.time,.all.public.health.activities.were.practically.paralyzed.TH

E.WORLD.WAR.II
• After.5.years.of.Japanese. occupation,.public. health. tried.to.pick.up.the.de
bris.and.rise.from.the.ruins
• Survey:. increased. incidence. of. TB,. VD,. malaria,. leprosy. and.mal
nutrition
• General.sanitation.has.been.reduced.to.level.enough.to.constitute.a.natio
nal.hazard
• US. congress. passed. an. emergency. measures. to. control. diseases:.TB
,.VD,.malaria,.leprosy,.malnutrition




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• Immunization.program

VII. .POST.WORLD.WAR.II

• THE.PHILIPPINE.INDEPENDENCE
1. Completion.of.a.research.on.Dichlorodiphenyltrichlorothanel.(DDT).saw.
dust.as.larvicide.and.DDT.residual.spraying.of.houses.in.the.control.of.mal
aria
2. Construction.of.the.National.Chest.Center.–
.for.control.case.registry.for.TB,.mass.immunization.with.BCG

3. Industrial.hygiene.laboratory
4. Introduction.of.one-infection.method.for.gonorrhea.with.penicillin
5. Creation.of.central.Health.Laboratory.in.the.Philippines
6. Creation.of.Institute.of.Nutrition.under.BRL,.then.it.was.transferred.to.Nati
onal.Institute.of.Science.and.Technology.and.was.renamed.as.Food.and.
Nutrition.Research.Center,.it.was.again.renamed.as.FNRI
• Manila.was.selected.as.Headquarters.for.the.WHO.Western.Pacific.Office
• Strengthening.Health.and.Dental.services.in.rural.areas
This.is.thru.RHU.program.(per.municipalities.with.5,000-10,000.population)
1.Municipal.Health.Officer.(MHO).1.
Public.Health.Nurse.(PHN)
1.Midwife
1.Sanitary.Inspector
• Re-organization.of.DOH.–.creation.of.several.offices
1. Dental.Health.Services
2. Malaria.Education.Services
3. Disease.Intelligence.Center
4. Food.and.Drug.Administration
5. National.Schistosomiasis.Control.Commission
6. National.Nutrition.Program
• Initiation.of.programs.with.multilateral.assistance
1. WHO.and.UNICEF.assisted.TB.and.BCG.programs
2. TB.control.program.as.basic.service.of.RHU
3. TB.sputum.case.finding.by.microscopy
4. Serum.and.vaccine.production.in.Alabang
5. Expanded.MCH.and.Mental.Health.Program
6. Training.programs.for.Midwives
7. Strengthened.graduate.health.programs.at.the.UP-CPH
• Development.of.Family.Planning.Movement
• Launching. of. programs. in. cooperation. with. private. sectors.–
. top. provide.services.to.periphery.(indigents,.minority.groups)




• Rizal.Development.Project
1. Restructuring.of.the.DOH.Rural.Health.Care.Delivery.System
2. Each.barrio.was.provided.with.midwife
3. For.the.first.time,.dengue.virus.was.isolated.from.typical.H.fever.cases




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