TACLOBAN CITY – The municipalities of Alangalang and Palo were recognized by the Leyte provincial government for their outstanding performance in delivering public health services during the province-wide health summit held Tuesday, May 12, at the Summit Hotel, this city.
The two local government units (LGUs) received recognition after successfully passing the Provincial Local Health System Monitoring Tool, reflecting their commitment to improving local health systems, strengthening healthcare delivery, and maintaining standards of accountability and responsiveness in public health governance.
The summit gathered provincial and municipal officials led by Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho ‘Icot’ Petilla, Vice Governor Leonardo Javier, Leyte 2nd District Representative Karen Javier, and League of Municipalities of the Philippines–Leyte Chapter president and Mayor Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla.
Leyte Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ronald Flores said the province is targeting at least 80 percent compliance among all Rural Health Units (RHUs) with the monitoring standards before the end of the year.
“If they reach 80 percent, that means they are more or less able to provide better health service delivery and a good health referral system,” Flores said.
Flores identified the limited use of the Quick Medical Record (QMeR) system as one of the main reasons some LGUs failed to qualify for recognition. The digital platform stores patients’ medical records and treatment histories and serves as a vital component of Leyte’s referral system.
According to Flores, the full adoption of QMeR is necessary to achieve the province’s unified health system program, allowing healthcare facilities to efficiently share patient information and improve coordination and referrals across Leyte.
“If all of them will be integrated into the system, we can immediately access the needed information. But if some rural health units do not cooperate with the QMeR system, we still cannot fully gather the data, and our healthcare system will remain fragmented instead of unified,” he said.
Several hospitals were also honored during the summit for outstanding performance. The Leyte Provincial Hospital, Hilongos District Hospital, and Tabango District Hospital were recognized as top-grosser hospitals.
Meanwhile, Abuyog District Hospital received the gold award for exceeding all core indicators and benchmarks and for completing hospital scorecard requirements. Leyte Provincial Hospital earned the silver award, while Tabango District Hospital and Ormoc District Hospital received bronze awards.
Provincial officials said another province-wide health summit will be held before the end of 2026 to assess the progress of health programs and further strengthen the implementation of Leyte’s unified health system.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
