By Ma. Teresa Montemayor
MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) has launched an information system that integrates nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive data from community programs to improve health and nutrition programs during the first 1,000 days of life.
DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa described the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project Information System (PMNP-IS) as a tool that focuses on the issue of stunting among Filipino children.
“Our stunting rate is one in every three children who experiences brain stunting due to chronic undernutrition; they lack food to eat),” he told reporters on the sideline of the launch at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila City.
“The way to do this is to implement it in the first 1,000 days, from conception ang nutrition up to two years. The fund of our nutrition program is focused on school-aged nutrition. The child has already grown, but the brain is stunted),” he added.
The PMNP-IS streamlines the delivery and the monitoring of nutrition and social programs across PMNP municipalities. It enables unified data sharing among the DOH, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and local government units for more coordinated and data-driven decision-making, supporting the Philippine Digital Health Ecosystem Framework and National Health Data Repository goals.
Its digital tools include the Household Convergence Scorecard Data Collection Mobile Application, Web Application Management Information System, and Data Visualization Dashboard.
With the use of the digital platform, Herbosa said the implementation of community programs for child nutrition would be faster. He noted that it observes strict data privacy standards, and it can only be accessed by health and social workers and not by the public.
“Each household, each child, will be identified as to which program they belong… we’ll know who is malnourished, who is progressing,” he said.
Meanwhile, DSWD Undersecretary Monina Romualdez described the digital platform as a data-driven, transparent and collaborative approach to nutrition governance.
“This is an essential step towards accomplishing our common goal in addressing the complex and multi-dimensional challenges of malnutrition and stunting,” she said.
“Through the PNMP, we are able to amplify our reach and ensure that the interconnecting root causes of malnutrition are addressed and responded through health, social security, and food protection,” she added.
She also noted that it would help design and manage nutrition-sensitive projects that include the improvement, expansion, and provision of essential amenities in early childhood care and development; and the construction and improvement of water and sanitation hygiene facilities.
Herbosa said the key to the project implementation is the local government unit. “The program is up to the local chief executive; we will just help in curbing the stunting rate in the Philippines,” he added. (PNA)