Maricar Brizuela
Taguig City has earned a Galing Pook Award for its innovative and impactful breast cancer control program, Ating Dibdibin. This award celebrates local government innovations that make a positive impact on communities.
Out of the 147 entries from 111 local governments, Taguig was chosen as one of the 18 finalists and emerged as one of the 10 winners for the Galing Pook Awards 2024.
Ating Dibdibin, established in partnership with the ICanServe Foundation in 2012, is a community-based initiative focused on early detection and treatment of breast cancer. It has been institutionalized through local ordinances and employs a patient navigation system, which has become a model for other local government units.
With trained barangay health workers acting as patient navigators, the program ensures that breast cancer patients receive guided support throughout the healthcare continuum, including free diagnostic services, treatment, and psycho-social support.
“We believe every breast cancer patient deserves a second chance at life. Every home deserves a happy, healthy mother, sister, or daughter. We continue to intensify our efforts to keep families together. Ating Dibdibin ang laban sa breast cancer,” Mayor Lani said in her presentation before the Galing Pook 2024 judges on Wednesday, October 23.
The program has achieved remarkable milestones:
– It has helped increase Taguig’s breast cancer screening rate to 8.48%, nearly quadrupling the national average of 2.3%.
– It has contributed to a significant reduction in breast cancer mortality in the city, cutting the rate to 17%, compared to the national average of 36%.
– The mortality reduction is attributed to early detection, community support, and patient-centered healthcare services provided by Taguig.
Taguig’s success was judged on several criteria, including positive results, people’s participation, innovation, and sustainability.
“The City of Taguig remains committed to providing the best. We will soon open a bigger breast cancer center to accommodate more patients. We will upgrade equipment, continue to provide quality cancer care, and provide a more holistic survivorship and supportive care for patients,” said Mayor Lani.
The Galing Pook Awards, launched on October 21, 1993, is an initiative promoting innovation and excellence in local governance. Jointly initiated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the DILG Local Government Academy (LGA), the Ford Foundation, academic institutions, and governance advocates, the awards incentivize innovation and community participation in local government initiatives.
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