BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — Health officials and stakeholders from across the Cordillera region convened for their quarterly meeting to foster coordination and strategize collective action towards strengthening the region’s health system.
Department of Health – Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH CAR) Regional Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan emphasized the importance of collaboration among all agencies and institutions during the Regional Implementation and Coordination Team (RICT) 3rd Quarter meeting on Oct. 7, 2025.
“The strength of our health system rests not only on policies and programs but on [the] strong collaboration [initiatives] of every agency, institution, and partner,” she stated.
Pangilinan highlighted the significance of connecting individual mandates to the shared mission of ensuring that every Cordilleran has access to quality health services without financial difficulty, which is the heart of Universal Health Care (UHC).
“As we look into the progress of our health initiatives, let us keep in mind the DOH 8-Point Agenda for Health which prioritizes strengthening primary care, integrating health systems, digitalization, improving health financing, and investing in health workforce. [These] are not just abstract goals; they are tangible guideposts [for] shaping how we deliver care to our people every single day,” she stressed.
Further, the agenda challenges us to modernize while staying grounded to the realities of our local health systems, especially the underserved and unserved areas or the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas or GIDAs, she added.
Pangilinan also emphasized the current administration’s eight priority health outcomes, namely; Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition, Mental Health, Tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, Immunization, Environmental Health (WASH), and Non-Communicable Diseases.
These targets represent the pressing health needs of Filipinos, which translate into concrete actions in the Cordillera region, such as reaching more mothers and children in remote areas, addressing malnutrition in schools, expanding TB detection and treatment, and protecting the youth through vaccination and health education.
She acknowledged the challenges that the region continues to face, including health inequities and access gaps especially in upland municipalities.
Despite resource limitations, she praised the resilience of the Cordillera health sector, rooted in its culture and communities. She encouraged open dialogue to identify what works, what can be improved, and how efforts can be better aligned across sectors.
She expressed gratitude for the continued commitment and presence of the DOH family including hospital medical center chiefs, provincial and municipal health officers, and regional line agencies.
‘The journey toward universal health care is not a short one; but every dialogue, every coordination meeting, every shared commitment brings us a step closer. So, what we decide and plan here today will shape the health outcomes of our region for years to come,’ Pangilinan concluded. **JDP/MAWC-PIA CAR
