Ilocos Region – The Department of Health's Ilocos Regional Office has received a significant boost in its tuberculosis (TB) screening efforts with the acquisition of a new mobile chest X-ray van.
According to Philippines News Agency, the region recorded 18,512 TB cases from January 1 to December 4 this year, surpassing last year's total of 17,349 cases.
DOH-CHD-1 Director Paula Paz Sydiongco, during the turnover ceremony by the Philippine Business for Social Progress of La Union, emphasized the program's aim to detect and treat as many TB cases as possible to curb the disease's spread. The DOH provides X-ray vouchers and free TB medication in directly observed therapy short-course (DOTS) clinics and hospitals nationwide. The mobile x-ray van, slated to begin its mission in January 2024, will enhance TB screening, particularly in geographically isolated and depressed areas of the Ilocos Region.
