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Call for Applications: DOH Regional Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) Fellows

With the continued commitment of the Department of Health (DOH) in training the next generation of health sector leaders, researchers, policy analysis and program managers, the DOH partnered with Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) to implement the DOH Research Fellowship Program. Aligned with the Advancing Health through Evidence Assisted Decisions (AHEAD) strategy to (1) to increase individual, institutional and sectoral research capacity and (2) to position the Philippines as a global knowledge contributor, the Program aims to establish a cadre of young professionals with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitude to appraise and conduct high quality health policy and systems research that are of policy significance.

With the passing of the Universal Health Care Act, there is a need to further develop a cadre of policy system researchers, technical experts and managers in order to strengthen internal analytic capacity in the DOH and to build health policy and systems research capacity within the sector. In line with this, the DOH Fellowship Program will be expanded in order to capacitate young professionals deployed to the regional Centers for Health Development (CHDs) all over the country.

The DOH Regional Research Fellowship Program is a 1-year term fellowship program intended for early career professionals who are considering a career in research. The Regional Research Fellows will be fully immersed in technical work at DOH regional CHDs and, in turn, will be capacitated in health policy, research and health systems management.

Objective:

To produce a cadre of young professionals in the field of health systems research, policy, data analysis and health systems management at the DOH CHD level

Scope of Work:

Identify research gaps in health policy and systems
Develop and design a health policy and systems research addressing identified research gaps/ health policy and systems issues
Collect and analyze data using a range of quantitative and qualitative techniques
Systematically search, appraise and synthesize research evidence
Communicate evidence to influence policy-making and legislation through the development of policy briefs, policy notes and other knowledge products as appropriate
Apply research evidence in day-to-day practice to improve health policy and systems
Participate in research capacity building activities
Comply with DOH standards and protocols

Deliverables*:

*meant to be completed individually by the fellow, unless otherwise indicated

One (1) individual research paper (can be done collaboratively with CHD staff, but fellow must be the principal investigator, and author)
At least one (1) research brief
At least five (5) technical reports/documents (such as, but not limited to position papers, policy notes, technical presentations, meeting reports, aide memoires, terms of reference and the like)
Timely submission of monthly accomplishment report approved by the DOH management
Other policy and research related technical tasks as may be required

Preferred Qualifications:

At least 20 years old
Residing in regions I (Ilocos), III (Central Luzon), VI (Western Visayas), VII (Central Visayas), X (Northern Mindanao), CAR (Cordillera)
Graduate of bachelor’s degree in any health-related courses*

*Fresh graduates are welcome to apply.

Fluent in English and Filipino
1. Knowledge/fluency of different dialects in the region is an advantage
Has knowledge in research and analytical writing
Possesses skills in planning, organizing and managing research
Has proficient computer skills, particularly for data management, technical report-writing and presentation preparation

Duration:

One year, non-renewable

Deployment:

Centers for Health Development (CHDs) Units/Divisions in regions I, III, VI, VII, X, and CAR

Compensation:

PhP 30,000.00/ month

Expression of Interest:

Qualified applicants may file their application together with the following documents at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.:

Cover letter addressed to:

JAIME C. MONTOYA, MD, MSc, PhD, CESO III

Executive Director

Philippine Council for Health Research and Development

Department of Science and Technology

Curriculum Vitae
Sample research paper/technical report

Deadline of submission is on or before November 22, 2019.
For queries, contact Ms. Juanita R. Valeza at 8-651-7800 local 1326/1328 or Ms. Ian Hannah C. Gozun at (02) 8-837-7537 local 405.

Source: http://pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6502-call-for-applications-doh-regional-health-policy-and-systems-research-hpsr-fellows

Call for Proposals: PH-France Research Collaboration, 2020-2022

The Hubert Curien French-Filipino Partnership (PHC) is calling for proposals to the PHC “Science for the People” France-Philippines Cooperation Programme in Science and Research.

Implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), and French Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation (MESRI), the program aims to encourage new collaborations through exchanges between Filipino and French research laboratories involving significant participation of young researchers (Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral).

The deadline for submission of applications is on 01 February 2020. The following are the mechanics of the program:

General Eligibility conditions

The call for applications is open to researchers of research laboratories affiliated with higher education institutions and research organizations.
The active participation and mobility of young researchers, in particular, doctoral or post-doctoral students, is one of the first criteria for selection.
It only finances the mobility between the two countries of the researchers involved in the program.
Any other funding necessary for the implementation of joint projects must be provided by the own resources of the partner laboratories or by other sources.
Each proposal should be jointly submitted by the partner in France and the partner in the Philippines. On each side, a principal investigator ‘head of the project’ should be appointed by the team of researchers. Only researchers working regularly in the partner institutions of the proposal are eligible. The principal investigator has to be a researcher or a lecturer/researcher.
A proposal must be submitted in English to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) by the Philippines principal investigator. An identical version in French will also be submitted online by the France principal investigator.
Projects intended to finance exclusively the participation in congresses, conferences, or courses will be excluded.
Researchers are strongly encouraged to generate continuity of the project after having been supported by the PHC Program, constantly carrying on the project with a future perspective.

Eligible themes for 2020

Nuclear applications on health;
Biological Sciences;
Health & Medical Research (Genomics and personalized medicine);
Agro-ecological approaches to agricultural production (Agritech);
Soil health, nutrient and water management;
Industry, energy, and emerging technology;
Material Science

Project Proposal Form

The application should include:

A clear identification of the partners (university/training and research unit/department/school/research body/other);
Objectives of the project within the general framework of human resource development and the establishment of France-Philippines thematic network;
A precise description of the activity to be carried out and the number of persons involved;
An implementation timetable;
Detailed budget established according to the rules edicted;
Official approval from relevant agency authorizing commitment of institution of each partner

Evaluation and selection

The projects will be selected by France and the Philippines during a Joint Meeting. For the French side, the MESRI's Delegation for European and International Affairs (DAEI) ensures the scientific evaluation of the applications. For the Philippines side, the DOST ensures the scientific evaluation of the applications.

Evaluation requirements:

The quality and scientific interest of the project, the clarity of its presentation;
Recognition of researchers in their field, participation in the publication of scientific articles, international notoriety;
Participation of young researchers and/or Ph.D. students: the team should consist of a minimum of, but not limited to, two members e.g. a senior researcher and junior researcher(s);
Cooperation and complementarity between French and Philippines teams(mutual contributions, balance of planned mobility...)
Network projects;
Alignment with the themes;
Perspectives of valorization of the project (academic publications, potential economic and industrial benefits).

Project duration

Each project will take 2 years for implementation. Funding is granted on an annual basis. It must be used between January 1st and December 31st of the year concerned and cannot be carried over to the next financial year.

An overall budget of up to 1 160 000 PHP (20,000 €) will be awarded per project per year. This budget represents the total funding per year per project allocated by the two countries, France and the Philippines. Therefore, for the entire duration of the PHC program (2 years), a project can be granted up to 2 315 000 PHP (40 000€).

The project coordinators will be requested to fill an annual activity report form at the end of each year in order to make sure of the project progress. The report will determine the financial contribution for the following year determined by:

Optimal consumption of the first-year funding
Annual activity reporting the project progress
Financial statement of the actions implemented of planned before the end of the calendar year (generally before November 15th)

A final scientific and financial report is required no later than three months after the end of projects.

Budget

The project should be co-financed by partner institutions. The principle of project co-financing excluding salaries is a condition for complementary support from the public agencies. The budget must show as realistically as possible the share of financial contributions expected from each partner (researchers, home institutions, host institutions, companies, communities, French and Philippines Ministries), broken down according to the type of expenditures: travel costs between the two countries, transport costs in the host country, living costs, educational fees (of the institution excluding costs covered by government subsidy), laboratory costs, tutoring, language learning and support, documents etc.

Providing a budget form sheet with the project proposal form should be filled in returned to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through the principal investigator’s university.

(*) Rates given in Euros for the French side, in Pesos for the Philippines side, are to be used as a guide and could be subject to some adjustment.

Financial support requested from the French and Filipino institutions

No cross-border funding scheme: France is paying for the French scientists traveling and living expenses and the Philippines for the Filipino scientists travelling and living expenses.

The resources granted by the Philippines cover exclusively the payment of the residence allowances and travel of the Filipino team's researchers in France.

The expenses cover:

International transportation for exchange Filipino professors/lecturers/researchers (Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral), from the Philippines to France, including, if necessary, domestic transportation in France and the Philippines. The maximum rate of a round trip air ticket is 1500 Euros (87 000 Pesos)
Living allowances in France of the Filipino professors/lecturers/senior or junior researchers (Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral): 110 Euros/day (6 390 Pesos). Health insurance will be also provided.

Intellectual property

The head of the projects is responsible and must take, on their own, all necessary measures to protect intellectual property.

Read carefully the attached document on good practices including on the rules of intellectual property. The project deposit includes, de facto, the adhesion, by all parties, to those rules.

Publication

Publications (articles in specialized review or journals and communications at conferences or seminars), as well as reports, should explicitly mention the support provided by the Ministries for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) and by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

For more information, please contact:

International Technology Cooperation Unit
Department of Science and Technology
General Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig City, 1631
Tel: 838-8376
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Hubert Curien Partnerships (PHC) are bilateral programs to support researchers’ mobility and are therefore a privileged tool for French scientific cooperation abroad.

The French-Philippine PHC Science for the People supports joint research projects over a 2-year period. It finances the mobility of Filipino and French researchers between France and the Philippines. The participation of young researchers, in particular doctoral or post-doctoral students, is fostered. This PHC is funded and implemented in France by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs with the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and in the Philippines by the Department of Science and Technology.

Source:http://pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6501-call-for-proposals-ph-france-research-collaboration-2020-2022 Written by: Christine Jane M. Gonzalez

Parents warned against instant noodles, processed foods

**JUNK FOOD.** National Nutrition Council executive director, Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang (right), in a media briefing in Makati City on Wednesday (October 16, 2019) says salt and sugar early to children's food system could lead to hypertension and diabetes when they become adults. Health experts cite that healthy eating does not start during adulthood but during early childhood. *(PNA photo by Ma. Teresa Montemayor)*

MANILA -- Health experts on Wednesday urged parents to avoid feeding their young children with instant noodles and processed foods.

“In complementary feeding, this is when a child starts feeding at six months old, don't give a child food with artificial coloring and flavors. If you think these harm you as an adult, more likely these are going to harm your kids,” Department of Health Disease Prevention and Control Bureau officer-in-charge, Dr. Anthony Calibo said in a press briefing in Makati City.

Calibo said healthy eating does not start during adulthood but during early childhood.

“These instant noodles may have the good intention to provide nutrition, they may even possess the micronutrient Sangkap Pinoy Seal, meaning they have been fortified, but if they're high in sodium, it is going to be unhealthy for the baby's kidney,” he said.

Meanwhile, National Nutrition Council executive director, Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang said it cannot be ruled out that instant noodles do not have nutritional value at all.

“We tell manufacturers to reformulate their products, huwag masyado damihan ang asin. Noodles as the most affordable for households, we tell them to add mga gulay like kalabasa, malunggay, itlog din pwede (vegetables like squash, malunggay, egg also),” Dayanghirang said.

Citing that frequent instant noodles consumption could lead to hypertension, Calibo advised that it must be eaten sparingly.

“For example, you've been feeding your child instant pancit canton every day, that's not a recommendation, probably once a week, and you shouldn't be giving other salty food like chips you already gave instant pancit canton,” he said.

To keep children from consuming instant noodles and processed food, Calibo urged parents to prepare meals ahead of time.

“Children are heavily dependent on adults, start teaching your caregiver to serve healthy food options if you’re working and unable to prepare meals. There are dieticians and nutritionists you can consult and they can help you in the preparation of a healthy meal plan for your family,” he added. (PNA)

Source: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1083395/By Ma. Teresa Montemayor , October 16, 2019, 8:55 pm

Experts note rise in number of unhealthy kids in PH

**UNHEALTHY**. Department of Health Disease Prevention and Control Bureau officer-in-charge Dr. Anthony Calibo (right), in a media briefing in Makati City, says more Filipino children and young people are eating too much unhealthy food. Calibo stressed the limitation of the sale of unhealthy foods, which are high in sugar, saturated fats, and salt is key in the improvement of children's nutrition nationwide. *(PNA photo by Ma. Teresa Montemayor)*

MANILA -- Health experts on Wednesday reported that more Filipino children are not growing up healthily due to poor diet, inadequate nutrition, and defective food systems.

During a media forum in Makati City, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) cited that one out of three Filipino children under five years old is stunted - they are too short for their age - while 7 percent of them are too thin for their height.

The organization also reported that a tenth of Filipino adolescents is overweight.

UNICEF Philippines representative Oyun Dendevnorov said apart from being stunted and overweight, Filipino children and adolescents have increased vulnerability to diseases due to poor health-seeking behavior, incomplete immunization, poor hygiene and care practices, and inadequate diet.

“The undernutrition facts in the Philippines are disturbing. One in three 12 to 23-month-old children suffers from anemia while one in three children is irreversibly stunted by the age of two. On the other hand, one in 10 adolescents is obese from wrong eating habits,” Dendevnorov added.

UNICEF nutrition specialist Dr. Rene Galera, meanwhile, reported that one in two children suffers from hidden hunger due to deficiencies in vitamins and essential nutrients.

"This heavy toll is made all the more insidious by the fact that hidden hunger is rarely noticed until it is too late to do anything. And, the numbers of women and children and women affected by various forms of hidden hunger are striking as UNICEF estimates that at least 340 million children are under five suffer from micronutrient deficiencies," Galera added.

Department of Health Disease Prevention and Control Bureau officer-in-charge Dr. Anthony Calibo said undernutrition among children and adolescents could be a challenge because they have easy access to processed and sugary food, especially in schools.

“As children, they don’t know what food to ask, but depend on adults and their caregivers to know what food they need to grow healthily and avoid preventable, non-communicable diseases in the future such as diabetes and hypertension,” Calibo said.

“Driving food suppliers to do the right thing for children, building healthy food environments, mobilizing supportive systems to scale up nutrition results, and collection and use of quality data and evidence to regularly track progress are a few of the ways by which we can prioritize children’s nutrition,” he said.

National Nutrition Council executive director Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang said the national government, through the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022, is “exerting all its efforts” to address malnutrition among children.

“One of the strategic thrusts of the PPAN 2017-2022 is the focus on the first 1,000 days of life, which refers to the period of pregnancy up to the first two years of the child, wherein key health, nutrition, early education, and related services should be delivered to ensure optimum physical and mental development of a child,” Dayanghirang said. (PNA)

Source:https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1083389/By Ma. Teresa Montemayor , October 16, 2019, 7:26 pm

Health groups urge PRRD to certify alcohol, e-cig tax hike urgent

MANILA -- The Sin Tax Coalition, a group of health advocates, on Monday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to certify the proposal to raise taxes on alcoholic beverages, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and vapor products as an urgent measure.

“We note the administration’s pronouncement in the 2019 State of the Nation Address asking Congress to prioritize the passage of the bill increasing the excise taxes on these sin products... It is our common goal to have the new higher taxes on alcohol, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products implemented on the first day of 2020,” the coalition said in a statement.

Representatives from medical societies such as the Philippine Medical Association, the Philippine College of Physicians, and the Philippine Pediatric Society, together with the youth, senior citizens, urban poor communities and other members of civil society organizations are behind the statement.

The excise tax increase on alcohol, HTPs, and vape would prevent young people from accessing them, the group stressed.

The group cited a Global School-Based Student Health survey in 2015 showed two out of three 13-15 years old high school students in the country, whoever had a drink of alcohol other than a few sips, admitted that they started drinking alcohol before 14 years old.

It also cited a National Nutrition Survey of 2018 which shows that one out of five e-cigarette users in the country comes from young Filipinos aged 10 to 19 years old.

“The main reason to tax these products is to protect young people from accessing the product," the statement read.

Senate ways and means committee chairperson Pia Cayetano sponsored Senate Bill 1074 before which seeks to align the tax rate of HTPs and vape with that of traditional cigarettes at PHP45 starting next year.

For alcoholic beverages, Cayetano proposes to increase the tax on distilled spirits from PHP23.5 to PHP90 per proof liter with a 20 percent ad valorem tax beginning next year.

Meanwhile, fermented liquors and alcopops would be taxed at PHP45 per liter, up from PHP25.4. A specific tax of PHP600 would be imposed on sparkling wines, while a specific tax of PHP43 would be imposed on still and carbonated wines beginning 2020.

Earlier, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the bill is expected to generate around PHP47.9 billion in incremental revenue, which would help bridge the funding gap for the first year of implementation of the Universal Health Care law. (PNA)

Source: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1083077/written by: Ma. Teresa Montemayor , October 14, 2019, 2:34 pm