Iloilo city: The city government has announced the expansion of its Healthy Hearts Program, marking a significant step in addressing cardiovascular disease locally. Councilor Alan Zaldivar, who chairs the Committee on Health, Sanitation, and Hospital Services of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, emphasized the city's commitment to tackling hypertension, a prevalent health issue in Iloilo City. "Our city government, through our health office, will spearhead this program and our partners and stakeholders will augment our existing programs and services on hypertension. We will provide medicines for the control of the disease," Zaldivar stated in an interview.
According to Philippines News Agency, the initiative aims to achieve treatment and control targets of 80 percent by 2026 and 90 percent by 2027 for adults aged 20 and above. The screening will follow the Philippine protocol for non-communicable disease interventions. During the launch of the expanded program at the city hall penthouse, Zaldivar represented Mayor Raisa Tre±as. Dr. Althea Tampos from the Iloilo City Health Office presented a strategic roadmap that combines top-down policy implementation with bottom-up community engagement, focusing on strengthening governance and training health workers, including barangay health workers.
Prior to the expansion, the city government had supported hypertensive residents through the Philippine Package of Essential Non-communicable Disease Interventions (PhilPEN) risk assessment by the Department of Health. In the first half of 2025, 64,913 adults were assessed, with 3,937 receiving medication. The Healthy Hearts Program, in collaboration with the DOH, WHO, and Resolve to Save Lives, initially launched in Iloilo's first district, achieved over 86 percent blood pressure control among patients.
Dr. Mary Ann Sta. Lucia, chief of the Local Health Support Division of DOH Western Visayas, reported that in the second quarter of the year, 27,165 hypertensive patients in the first district were screened, diagnosed, and treated, with 74 percent achieving controlled blood pressure.
