History of Public Health in the Philippines: A Comprehensive Guide from Pre-Colonial Era to Modern Community Health

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HISTORYVOFVPUBLICVHEALTHVINVTHEVPHILIPPINES


PublicVHealth

• EcologicalVinVperspective,Vmulti-VsectoralVinVscopeVandVcollaborativeVinVstrategy
• ItVaimsVtoVimproveVtheVhealthVofVcommunityVthroughVanVorganizedV communit
yVeffort

HistoryVofVPublicVHealthVinVtheVPhilippinesVbasedVonVsocio-politicalVperiods

1. Pre-AmericanVOccupationV(upVtoV1898)
2. AmericanVMilitaryVGovernmentV(1898-1907)
3. PhilippineVAssemblyV(1907-1916)
4. TheVJonesVLawV(1916-1936)
5. TheV Commonwealth(1936-1941)
6. JapaneseV OccupationV (1941-1945)
7. PostVWorldVWarVIIV(1945-1972)
8. MartialVLawVYearsV(1972-1986)
9. PostVEDSAVRevolutionV(1986VtoVpresent)

I. VPRE-AMERICANVOCCUPATION

• PublicVhealthVworksVbeganVatVtheVoldVFranciscanVConventVinVIntramurosVwhe
reVFr.VJuanVClementeVputVupVaVdispensaryVinV1577VforVtreatingVindigentsVinV
Manila.VThisVeventuallyVbecameVtheVSanVJuanVdeVDiosVHospital
• DuringVSpanishVtime:
1. CreationVofVBoardVofVVaccinatorsVtoVpreventVsmallpox
2. CreationVofVBoardVofVHealth
3. ConstructionVofVCarriedoVWaterworks
4. FirstVMedicalVSchoolVinVtheVPhilippinesV–VUST
5. SchoolVofVMidwifery
6. PublicVHealthVLaboratory
7. ForensicVMedicine
• HospitalsVbeforeVtheVAmericansVcameVtoVPhilippines:
1. GeneralVHospitals
a. SanVJuanVdeVDiosVHospital
b. ChineseVGeneralVHospital
c. HospicioVdeVSanVJoseVinVCavite
d. CasaVdelaVCaridadVinVCebu
e. EnfermeriaVdeVSantaVCruzVinVLaguna
2. ContagiousVHospitals
a. SanVLazaroVHospital
b. HospitalVdeVPalestinaVinVCamarinesVSur
c. HospitalVdelosVLeprososVinVCebu
d. HospitalVdeVArgencinaVinVManilaVforVsmallpoxVandVcholera
3. MilitaryVHospitals
a. HospitalVMilitarVdeVManila
b. HospitalVMilitarVdeVZamboanga




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4. NavalVHospitals
a. HospitalVdelaVMarieVinVCebu
b. HospitalVdeVBasilan
5. OtherVhospitals/Asylums
a. HospicioVdeVSanVPascualVBaylonVinVManila
b. AsylumVofVSt.VVincentVdeVPaulVinVManilaVforVpoorVgirls
c. HospitalVofVSanVJoseVforVorphanedVchildrenVandVmentallyVill

II. VAMERICANVMILITARYVGOVERNMENT

• ControlVofVepidemicsVsuchVasVcholera,VsmallpoxVandVplague
• FightV againstVcommunicableVdiseasesVsuchVasVleprosy,Vdiarrhea,Vmal
aria,Vberi-beri
• ProjectsVandVactivities:
1. EstablishedVaVgarbageVcrematory
2. ApprovedVtheVfirstVsanitaryVordinanceVandVratVcontrol
3. AmoebicVdysenteryV–
VcausedVbyVcontaminatedVwaterVandVuncleanVvegetables,VandVmalariaV–
VAnophelesVminismusVflavirotrisVwasVpointedVoutVasVvector
4. CholeraVvaccineVwasVfirstVtried
5. ConfirmedVthatVplagueVinVmanVcomesVfromVinfectedVrat
6. OpenedVaVleperVcolonyVinVCulion
7. FoundedVtheVManilaVMedicalVSocietyVandVPhilippineVIslandVMedi
calVAssociation
8. OpenedVtheVUPVCollegeVofVMedicine
9. EstablishedVBureauVofVScience

III. VPHILIPPINEVASSEMBLY

• NewVwaterworksVinVManilaVwasVinauguratedVtoVcontrolVcholera
• NursingVstudentsVatVPhilippineVNormalVSchool
• HygieneVandVPhysiologyVwereVincludedVinVcurriculumVofVpublicVelementaryVschool
• Anti-TBVcampaignVwasVstarted
• PhilippineVTuberculosisVSocietyVwasVorganized
• PasteurVprophylaxisVtreatmentVagainstVrabiesVwasVoffered
• OpeningVofVtheVPhilippineVGeneralVHospitalV(PGH)
• UseVofVanti-typhoidVvaccineVwasVinitiated
• HypochloriteVofVlimeVwasVfirstVusedVforVtreatingVtheVwaterVsupplyVofVManila
• EtiologyVofVAmoebicVdysenteryVwasVmadeVclear
• DryVvaccineVagainstVsmallpoxVwasVfirstVused

IV. VJONESVLAWVYEARS

• RetrogressionVratherVthanVprogressionVinVsoVfarVasVtheVhealthVwasVconcern
1. IncreaseVCDR
2. IncreaseVIMR
3. IncreaseVMorbidity
• IncreasedVdeathsVfromVsmallpox,Vcholera,Vtyphoid,Vmalaria,VberiberiVandVTB
• Re-organizationVhappenedV(re-
organizedVtheVhealthVserviceVandVencouragedVeffectiveVsupervision




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1. StudyVtheVcauseVandVprevalenceVofVtyphoidVfever
2. TheV composition,V valueV andV vitaminV distributionV ofV manyV PhilippineV fo
odsVwereVstudied
3. SchickVtestVwasVusedVtoVdetermineVtheVcasesVofVdiphtheria
4. CampaignVagainstVHookwormVwasVlaunched
5. Anti-dysenteryVvaccineVwasVfirstVtried
6. TheVrolesVofVseafoodVinVtransmissionVofVcholeraVandVtheVpollutionVofVfishi
ngV sectorVtoVtyphoidVwereVstudied
7. FirstVtrainingVcourseVforVsanitaryVinspectorVwasVgiven
8. WomenVandVchildVlaborVlawVwasVpassed
9. TheVmechanismVofVtransmissionVofVdengueVfeverVthroughVAedesVaegyptiV
wasVstudied
10. ConstructionVofVNovalichesVdam
11. EstablishmentVofVschoolVofVHygieneVandVPublicVHealth
12. NationalVResearchVCouncilVofVtheVPhilippinesVwasVorganized
13. BSVinVEducationVmajorVinVHealthVEducationVwasVopenedVinVUP
14. PhilippineVPublicVHealthVAssociationV(PPHA)VwasVorganized

V. VTHEVCOMMONWEALTHVPERIOD

• ProcessVofVgainingVandVmaintainingValtitudeV(becauseVtheVlaterVyearsVunderVJ
onesVLawVwasVsuccessful)
• TheV epidemiologyV ofV lifeV threateningV diseasesVwasV studiedV –
V diphtheria,V yaws,Vdengue
• ResearchVinVtheVfieldVofVhealthVwasVpromoted
• UPVSchoolVofVPublicVHealthVwasVestablishedVtoVtrainVpublicVhealthVleaders
• ConstructionVofVadditionalVleprosariaVandVprovincialVhospitals
• ConstructionVofVQuezonVInstituteV forVPTBVpatients
• ResearchVandVcontrolVofVTB,Vmalaria,VleprosyVandVyaws
• DevelopmentVofVMaternalVandVChildVHealthV(MCH)
• 1939,VcreationVofVDepartmentVofVPublicVHealthVandVWelfareV–
VDr.VJoseVFabellaVasVtheVfirstVsecretary
• 1940,VBureauVofVCensusVandVStatisticsVwasVcreatedVtoVgatherVvitalVstatistics
• InVspiteVofVdevelopmentV:
1. InequitableVdistributionVofVhealthVservicesVremainedVaVproblem
2. 80%VofVthoseVwhoVdiedVwereVneverVgivenVmedicalVattention

VI. VJAPANESEVOCCUPATION

• DuringVthisVtime,VallVpublicVhealthVactivitiesVwereVpracticallyVparal

yzedVTHEVWORLDVWARVII
• AfterV5VyearsVofVJapaneseV occupation,VpublicV healthV triedVtoVpick
VupVtheVdebrisVandVriseVfromVtheVruins
• Survey:V increasedV incidenceV ofV TB,V VD,V malaria,V leprosyV a
ndVmalnutrition
• GeneralVsanitationVhasVbeenVreducedVtoVlevelVenoughVtoVconstitut
eVaVnationalVhazard
• USV congressV passedV anV emergencyV measuresV toV controlV disea
ses:VTB,VVD,Vmalaria,Vleprosy,Vmalnutrition




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• ImmunizationVprogram

VII. VPOSTVWORLDVWARVII

• THEVPHILIPPINEVINDEPENDENCE
1. CompletionVofVaVresearchVonVDichlorodiphenyltrichlorothanelV(DDT)
VsawVdustVasVlarvicideVandVDDTVresidualVsprayingVofVhousesVinVth
eVcontrolVofVmalaria
2. ConstructionVofVtheVNationalVChestVCenterV–
VforVcontrolVcaseVregistryVforVTB,VmassVimmunizationVwithVBCG
3. IndustrialVhygieneVlaboratory
4. IntroductionVofVone-infectionVmethodVforVgonorrheaVwithVpenicillin
5. CreationVofVcentralVHealthVLaboratoryVinVtheVPhilippines
6. CreationVofVInstituteVofVNutritionVunderVBRL,VthenVitVwasVtransferre
dVtoVNationalVInstituteVofVScienceVandVTechnologyVandVwasVrenam
edVasVFoodVandVNutritionVResearchVCenter,VitVwasVagainVrenamed
VasVFNRI
• ManilaVwasVselectedVasVHeadquartersVforVtheVWHOVWesternVPacificVOffice
• StrengtheningVHealthVandVDentalVservicesVinVruralVareas
ThisVisVthruVRHUVprogramV(perVmunicipalitiesVwithV5,000-
10,000Vpopulation)
1VMunicipalVHealthVOfficerV(MH
O)V1VPublicVHealthVNurseV(PHN
)
1VMidwife
1VSanitaryVInspector
• Re-organizationVofVDOHV–VcreationVofVseveralVoffices
1. DentalVHealthVServices
2. MalariaVEducationVServices
3. DiseaseVIntelligenceVCenter
4. FoodVandVDrugVAdministration
5. NationalVSchistosomiasisVControlVCommission
6. NationalVNutritionVProgram
• InitiationVofVprogramsVwithVmultilateralVassistance
1. WHOVandVUNICEFVassistedVTBVandVBCGVprograms
2. TBVcontrolVprogramVasVbasicVserviceVofVRHU
3. TBVsputumVcaseVfindingVbyVmicroscopy
4. SerumVandVvaccineVproductionVinVAlabang
5. ExpandedVMCHVandVMentalVHealthVProgram
6. TrainingVprogramsVforVMidwives
7. StrengthenedVgraduateVhealthVprogramsVatVtheVUP-CPH
• DevelopmentVofVFamilyVPlanningVMovement
• LaunchingV ofV programsV inV cooperationV withV privateV sectorsV–
V topV provideVservicesVtoVperipheryV(indigents,VminorityVgroups)


• RizalVDevelopmentVProject
1. RestructuringVofVtheVDOHVRuralVHealthVCareVDeliveryVSystem
2. EachVbarrioVwasVprovidedVwithVmidwife
3. ForVtheVfirstVtime,VdengueVvirusVwasVisolatedVfromVtypicalVHVfeverVcases




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