THE UNIVERSITY joined the four core agencies in promoting cooperation and integration of all health research efforts to ensure that health-related researches will contribute to evidence-informed health policies and actions in the country.

MMSU’s commitment was shown in its participation in the 7th Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week celebration held at the Plaza Del Norte Hotel and Convention Center in Brgy. Suba, Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Aug. 7-9.

The core agencies which comprise the PNHRS are the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Health (DOH), University of the Philippines Manila (UPM), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Dr. Ma. Loudes K. Otayza, Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH-MC) chief and concurrent chair of the Region I Health Research and Development Consortium (HRDC), said the celebration has provided a platform for the different stakeholders in health to interact and contribute research-based solutions to health problems.

“This year’s theme, ‘People at the center of health and health research,’ is fitting as the celebration provides an opportunity to other agencies to come together and learn from what they are pursuing in health research which has a great impact in the lives of people,” she said.

Attended by 500 delegates who came from the 16 regions of the country, the celebration was highlighted by poster and paper competitions by student and professional researchers.

Eight posters in both professional and student categories emerged finalists while another eight research papers in both categories vied for the major awards.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona congratulated the PNHRS and the people and institutions behind its creation. In his message delivered by a representative, Ona said the PNHRS is a 10-year partnership of the core agencies which thrived primarily on the principles of participation and inclusiveness in order to deliver quality, efficient, equitable, and effective service to our clients through health research.

“The PCHRD, DOH, UP-NIH saw that working individually was not doing well for research in the country and decided to pool their resources, work together as one and, eventually enticed CHED and other research organizations and networks to participate so that PNHRS will be more inclusive,” he said.

It is recalled that in the past seven years, the PNHRS was implemented with the set objectives of sharing and pooling resources, building capabilities for knowledge production according to ethical standards in research, and learning how to best use and manage research results.

As PNHRS lives on, the DOH Secretary has committed to funnel more funds for health research by institutionalizing the allocation of two percent from the agency’s MOOE budget for research and development in partnership with PCHRD, PIDS, UP-NIH, and other research institutions.

“We can now implement our health research agenda and generate enough results to support policies and programs beneficial to our mandated beneficiaries – the people,” Secretary Ona said, adding that it is time for the core agencies to affirm their commitment of putting people at the center of health and health research “as we have actually framed and implemented a research agenda supportive of “Kalusugang Pangkalahatan.”

Last year, through the Health Systems Research Management Project, the DOH started implementing 61researches more in the pipeline and is still committed to keep the number going and growing through the coming years.

“Through our partnership with the PCHRD, we started building capabilities for health research and development through our 2013 Health Policy Internship Program (HPIP), deploying 30 health policy associates and interns in priority areas of DOH. We are getting older and part of our initiative is to prepare and train the younger generation who will catch on after us. We cannot afford to revert and lose momentum, because we owe our bosses – the Filipino people – that much,” he said.