Initiated in 2012 as an electronic medical record (EMR) system, the eHealth TABLET developed by Dr. Dennis Batangan of the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) – Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC), with support from the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), has evolved to assist local government units (LGUs) in building health information systems in support of universal health care (UHC).

Recognizing the emerging eHealth needs of Filipino communities, the eHealth TABLET team created several enhancements to the technology including a feature enabling the generation and transmission of reports on the Primary Care Benefit (PCB) Package 1 of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), an eClaims system for the processing of claim reimbursements with PhilHealth, a data analytics system, and an interoperability layer enabling local health information management. Now known as the eHealth TABLET for Informed Decision Making of LGUs or eHATID LGU, the system fostered collaborations with local government units in the country, with over 450 sites across the country adopting the technology. 

eHATID in support to UHC 

In 2019, Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act was signed into law to ensure equitable access to inclusive, quality healthcare through refinements in the country’s health systems. One of the reforms the law calls for is strengthened eHealth Systems at the LGU level. In response to this, AdMU IPC, with support from DOST-PCHRD, expanded its efforts in assisting LGUs to build their eHealth capacities in support of the implementation of UHC. 

The Local Government Unit-mandated eHealth Networked Services for Universal Health Care (UHC LeHNS) was launched by the AdMU IPC, in close partnership with the Province of Pangasinan, to develop UHC-compliant local health information systems. UHC LeHNS initiated major reforms such as the establishment of provincial-level and city-level health information systems that facilitate information exchange between the province’s health institutions. 

A similar project utilizing the eHATID LGU to strengthen local health information systems is the Smarter and Integrated Local Health Information System for Cagayan de Oro City (SmILHIS CDOC). It specifically aims to assist the city of Cagayan De Oro in creating an interoperable health information system that facilitates easy access to and exchange of local health information among various health institutions. 

With streamlined management of local health information, LGUs are guided in decision making to ensure that programs and policies improve efficiency of healthcare service delivery to Filipino communities.

Due to eHATID’s significant contributions in refining local healthcare systems, the project was recently recognized by the Provincial Health Office of Pangasinan during the  11th Provincial Health Summit: 2020 LGU Health Scorecard Recognition and Outstanding COVID-19 Response Awarding Ceremony for the project’s contribution to Pangasinan’s ehealth system. It also received the People’s Choice Award from the DOST-TAPI’s Gawad TECHNiCOM for their Facebook video entry entitled, “Tugon sa Hamon,” which narrated the team’s journey in developing the eHATID. 

On 17 June 2022 from 10AM-12PM during the DOST-PCHRD’s Talakayang HeaRT Beat press conference, the eHATID team, represented by Dr. Dennis Batangan as the project lead and Mr Jaztine, will share their experiences in the eHATID journey. They will be joined by DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Jaime Montoya, Cagayan De Oro City Mayor Hon. Oscar Moreno, and Cagayan De Oro City Health Insurance Office Head Dr. William Bernardo to answer questions from the audience. To join, register via: https://bit.ly/THBJune17_Reg.

Source: https://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/news_and_updates/pchrd-supported-ehatid-gears-local-ehealth-systems-for-uhc 

The Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors (PAMJE) Inc. with support from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) is organizing the 18th National Medical Writing Workshop on 08-12 August 2022 via Zoom. The workshop aims to help young investigators in health and health social sciences acquire practical knowledge and skills in preparing a scientific article for publication in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. Successful applicants will be granted free workshop registration and post-workshop mentoring sessions with an assigned mentor-facilitator who will guide them in preparing their articles for submission to peer-reviewed journals.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPANTS:

The workshop is designed for a maximum of forty (40) researchers in health sciences and health social sciences who have a research project completed not more than 2 years ago and have drafted a publication-ready manuscript of maximum 2,500 – 3,000 words, formatted for submission to a scholarly biomedical journal. Note that thesis, dissertations, and technical reports in original format and length do not qualify. 

The selected draft manuscripts will be reviewed and revised during the workshop, based on the lectures and exercises, under the guidance of the faculty and mentor – facilitators. All participants are expected to present a powerpoint summary of their revised manuscripts on the fifth day of the workshop and agree to submit the article to an appropriate scholarly peer-reviewed journal within four (4) months after the workshop.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Accomplish the application form at https://tinyurl.com/18NMWW2022

2. Send the following requirements via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on or before July 8, 2022:

• Conforme slip (attached below)
• Abstract (in .docx and .pdf format)
• Draft of Journal Manuscript (in .docx and .pdf format)
• Instructions to Authors for the target journal (This is a free document downloadable from the website of your prospective journal.)

For inquiries, you may contact us at 8-837-7534 send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The call for submissions for the Gelia Castillo Award for Research on Social Innovations in Health (GCARSIH) 2022 is now open.

The Gelia Castillo Award for Research on Social Innovations in Health (GCARSIH) aims to recognize the outstanding social innovations that address persistent, societal and health systems challenges. Through the innovators’ experience, we can better understand why and how social innovations create impact, and discover the keys to scale up or integrate these effective interventions into the larger health system.

This Award is open to ongoing social innovations in health developed by Filipinos for the Filipinos. The entry must be implemented in the Philippines.

For the purposes of this Award, social innovations in health (SIH) are defined as new solutions (product, services, models, market mechanisms, processes) created by multi-sectoral health system actors. The solutions must address a health need more effectively than existing approaches and have the ability to enhance people’s capacity to act and take ownership of their own health. Social innovations have health-system changing potential as it changes and strengthens relationships between people and results in a more effective use of available resources.

Who can submit an entry?

The Award is open to all individuals, groups and institutions that have successfully developed and implemented social innovations in health in the Philippines. Participating institutions may be:

• public or private
• members of the consortium
• scientific, technological and professional societies or associations
• research institutes
• universities and colleges
• others

How to submit an entry

Step 1. Complete the Submission Entry Form (attached below), which includes a comprehensive write-up of the health innovation, a description of future plans for sustainability or scale-up, and relevant supporting documents.

Step 2. Submit your entry in person, via courier or via email on or before June 17, 2022

1. Email: Send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject GCARSIH SUBMISSION / <Name of Innovation> / <Name of Region>
2. In-person or courier: Please refer to the Submission Entry Form for the list of RHRDC addresses.

Criteria

1. Eligibility. The submitted social innovations in health will be considered for shortlisting based on the following eligibility criteria:

• Developed by Filipino/s.
• Implemented in the Philippines for at least one (1) year
• Based on an identified priority health need of a community or geographical context.
• Complete submission entry form (that has enough information for a fair review) submitted within the set deadline.

       2. Technical Screening. Submitted entries shall be screed based on the following criteria:

• A programme, process, product, practice or a market mechanism with a high degree of innovativeness (i.e. new and different in its context)
• Demonstrated an inclusive process (engagement of community or stakeholders)
• Demonstrated positive health and social outcomes
• Not a purely medical or scientific innovation

 3. Selection. Entries that pass eligibility and technical screening will be scored by an external independent panel of experts based on the following selection criteria:

• Degree of Innovativeness (25%) – The innovation provides a novel approach to address a systemic health challenge within its local context, providing an alternative to the status quo.
• Significance (15%) – The innovation addresses a health priority of the Philippines (as defined by the National and/or Regional Unified Health Research Agenda), or a priority in a more localized level such as prevalent yet neglected health problem in a town or a marginalized group/ethnic group
• Participatory & Co-owned (15%) – Participatory approach is evident in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the innovation (i.e. contributions from various stakeholders: the patients/families, local health personnel, local leaders, other sectors).
• Potential for Further Research or Scale (15%) – There are clear plans for further research and development of the innovation. The innovation shows feasibility to be applied, replicated and scaled-up to other communities with similar problems, or integrated into the broader health system.
• Inclusiveness (10%) – The innovation has the potential to be used by a large number of people, enhancing equity and access.
• Effectiveness (10%) – The innovation has a demonstrated positive outcome on the health challenge it is addressing.
• Affordability (10%) – The innovation is affordable to the poor who are otherwise excluded in the local context or the solution is more cost-effective than the status quo.

Shortlisting and Final Selection

The RHRDC will conduct the initial review and shortlisting of applications based on the eligibility criteria, and endorse the shortlisted entries to the GCARSIH Secretariat. Eligible entries will then be screened based on how the social fits the criteria of social innovation provided above.

The Final Selection will be conducted by an independent panel of experts convened by the GCARSIH Secretariat. The innovations will be scored on a scale of 1-5 in 0.5 increments. The panel may conduct on-site or online validation calls (e.g. telephone or video conference). Only the top 10 finalists for the award will be notified.

The panel has the prerogative not to give the award if the innovations fail to reach the threshold score. The decision of the panel is final.

Prizes and Incentives

The top innovations in health will receive:

The top innovations in health will receive:

• cash prize (300,000php for 1^st place, 200,000php for 2^nd place, 100,000php for 3^rd place)
• eligibility for funding for a research and development project**

• training and mentoring package

Download: GCARSIH 2022 Submission Form and Guidelines

Important Dates

Deadline of submission of entries: June 17, 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can we submit on behalf of our partner organizations / partner communities?

Yes, any partner organization involved in the development and implementation of the social innovation in health may submit the entry. The National GCARSIH Secretariat assumes all partners are informed of the submission for consideration for this award. The National GCARSIH Secretariat reserves the right to disqualify entries that have not properly attributed the social innovation described in the entry to the proper organizations/groups/individuals.

      2. Can social innovations with foreign partners submit for GCARSIH?

Yes, social innovations in health that have foreign partners or collaborators may be submitted for this Award, so long as there are local organizations/groups/individuals who are co-designer(s) and co-implementor(s) of the innovation.

**The eligibility for funding for a research and development project will require the organization to be accredited by DOST to release the funding. If the organization is not accredited, you may partner with an accredited institution for the research project