MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
[ Proclamation No. 840, July 30, 1996 ]
DECLARING AUGUST 19 OF EVERY YEAR AS THE NATIONAL TB DAY
WHEREAS, August 19 marks the birth anniversary of President Manuel Luis Quezon who died of tuberculosis more than fifty years ago;
WHEREAS, tuberculosis has wreaked havoc upon the lives of the Filipinos for the past decades being the countrys number four cause of deaths killing sixty-two people per day;
WHEREAS, one out of every three Filipinos is infected with TB since one TB patient could potentially infect ten persons in a year;
WHEREAS, the Philippines was listed by the World Health Organization as the number one in the Western Pacific Region in terms of number of reported TB cases;
WHEREAS, TB affects all ages but about seventy percent of cases occur in the working age group causing substantial economic and social losses to the country, hence, adversely affecting our vision for the Philippines 2000;
WHEREAS, effective medicines, technologies and strategies are available to control this disease and according to a study, TB control program is one of the most cost effective health interventions;
WHEREAS, under the National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTCP), the national and local government units, complemented by NGOs and private sector, are providing resources and services to control this disease;
WHEREAS, due to rapid urbanization and migration and increasing number of drug resistant cases, TB cases and HIV/AIDS related TB cases, TB is expected to worsen unless effective and efficient strategies are urgently undertaken and different sectors of our society including the communities are mobilized;
WHEREAS, with thirty million people projected to die in the next ten years, the World Health Organization has declared TB as a global emergency in 1993;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare August 19 of every year as the National TB Day.1aшphi1 Accordingly, I hereby direct:
1 The Department of Health to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategic plan in collaboration with various sectors to reduce significantly the TB problem, including plans for high risk groups, augment the current manpower involved in TB control and provide technical and logistical assistance to LGUs and private sector.
2. The Department of Education, Culture and Sports to intensify an educational program which aims to increase awareness of students and their families on TB prevention, diagnosis and management.
3. The local government units to ensure that TB symptomatics have access to diagnostic services specially sputum examination and most importantly for TB patients to have access to anti-TB drugs mechanism to ensure completion of treatment as embodied in the Comprehensive Health Care Agreement with DOH.
The DOH and LGUs to provide mechanisms for the NGOs, private sector and communities to participate in the TB control program.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 30th day of July in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Six.
(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
By the President:
(Sgd.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary
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