Mindanao-wide Catholic Health Care Summit Held in Davao City

The Archdiocese of Davao hosted the Mindanao-Wide Catholic Health Care Summit last September 19-20, 2022 held at the Apo View Hotel. This is a biennial gathering of health care directors and coordinators of the different archdioceses and dioceses in Mindanao which is conducted by the Episcopal Commission on Health Care of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Twenty-eight (28) health care directors and coordinators participated in this year’s summit which focused on the theme: “Synodality for Healthy Planet and Healthy People”. Brother Ignatius Gonzales, CFA, the Director of the Health Care Ministry, and Rev. Fr. Jeus Jardin, represented the Archdiocese of Davao in the said summit.

The first day of the summit gave the participants the opportunity to present their health care programs and projects in their respective archdiocese and diocese. Bro. Ignatius and Fr. Jardin reported the accomplishments of the Health Care Ministry in the Archdiocese before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and its probable and planned activities. The participants also shared their best practices in the implementation of their respective health programs and projects. COVID-19 updates and COVID-19 Vaccine accomplishments and its challenges and opportunities were also discussed by national and local representatives of the Department of Health. According to DOH’s report, Davao City has 504 total active cases of COVID as of September 18, 2022. Majority of these cases were observed in the unvaccinated group. In Davao Region, around 3,292,038 individuals or 86.7% of the target population in the region are fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated is described as those who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Only 693,979 or 36.6% of the total target population ages 12-60 years old received the booster shots. According to these statistics, there is a need to vaccinate more people in the region since COVID-19 cases are increasing. The DOH urged the participants to help them in their campaign for COVID-19 vaccination which is branded as PinasLakas Campaign.

On the second day of the summit, Rev. Fr. Rodolfo Vicente Cancino, Jr., MI, the Executive Secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Health Care, presented the health care flagship programs for 2022-2024. These are Mental Health Programs, Pastoral Care for the Sick and those who take care of them thru Hospital Chaplaincy, Partnerships and Collaborations with government agencies, non-government organizations, patient support groups and other significant groups in the implementation of health care programs and projects of the Church. These flagship programs are focused on strengthening the voice of the vulnerable, targeting resources, and uniting of activities under a single global focus. Aside from this discussion, guests were also invited from the different patient support groups in Davao City. They shared their life stories and their experiences in dealing with their illnesses. The purpose of this activity was to give awareness to the participants that they do exist and to provide any means of support to their advocacies.

It was a meaningful and spirit-filled activity for all the participants. It gave them the opportunity to learn from the different topics discussed and from the sharing of the participants and the guests. The next Mindanao-Wide Health Care Summit will be held on 2024. (Bro. Ignatius Gonzales, CFA)