TACLOBAN CITY-With health challenges emerging, the Eastern Visayas Health Research and Development Consortium (EVHRDC) is rising to the occasion with pioneering solutions rooted in research and collaboration.
The diverse healthcare needs of the region have pushed the EVHRDC to make calls for health researches that aim to address both local and national concerns.
During its mid-year assessment conducted recently, the consortium showed strategic partnerships and a strong commitment to scientific advancement in Eastern Visayas that will help in improving public health outcomes not only for the region but for the entire nation.
Regional Director Exuperia Sabalbarino of the Department of Health Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-EVCHD), who chairs the EVHRDC, said the goal of these health researches is not just to create knowledge, but to ensure these can lead to practical solutions that can be applied at the local level.
The assessment also took a closer look at the consortium’s accomplishments and where it is headed.
“Progress only matters if it leads us closer to real-world impact,” Dr. Sabalberino said.
Eastern Visayas’ health research and development efforts are not just about bringing in external expertise, but also about harnessing the talents and knowledge of local professionals.
Earlier in May 2025, EVHRDC turned over research funds for two newly-approved Participatory Action Research (PAR) projects.
The approved projects are “Level of ICT Competency among Healthcare Providers in Health Districts of Ormoc City” by Dr. Jereco Jims Agapito and “Extent of Implementation of Basic First Aid and Health Emergency Rescue Initiative to Selected Far-flung Barangays of Ormoc City” by Joseph T. Gudelos. Both researchers are faculty members of Eastern Visayas State University Ormoc Campus.
These projects aim to generate data that will support the development of health-related policies by local leaders. By promoting research-based planning and decisions, the projects contribute to EVHRDC’s goal of making health research relevant to the commThe organization of EVHRDC emanates from Article II, Section 13 of Republic Act 10532, otherwise known as “An Act Institutionalizing the Philippine National Health Research System,” which provides for the creation of regional health research systems that will mirror the PNHRS framework in all the regions of the country, forming a network of regional research consortia. (ACR/PIA Leyte)
