Ipinarating ni DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III ang suporta sa inisyatibo hindi lamang para sa epektibong COVID-19 response kundi maging sa universal health care (UHC).
“While we continue to communicate the minimum public health standards and other services of our pandemic response, we cannot expect Filipinos to access services from our healthcare system on their own,” pahayag ni Duque.
“Through this partnership, our BHERTs will become our community navigators in promoting localized solutions and services that every Filipino can access,” dagdag pa nito.
Inatasan ang BHERT na magbigay ng agarang emergency assistance sa panahon ng pandemya at makipag-ugnayan sa national at local governments sa pagpapatupad ng kinakailangang health programs and standards sa kanilanh assigned households.
Noong Pebreno, ipinag-utos ni DILG Secretary Eduardo Año sa lahag ng barangay chairperson na bumuo ng BHERT teams kabilang ang executive officer, isang barangay tanod, at dalawang barangay health workers, nurse man o midwife, bilang first-line respondents sa komunidad upang tugunan ang COVID-related healthcare issues.
Hanggang August 2020, sinabi ng DOH na mayroong 39,347 BHERT sa buong bansa.
Lahay ng barangay sa mga sumusunod na rehiyon ay 100 porsyento aktibo ang BHERTS: Region I (3,267), Region II (2,311), Region V (3,471), Region IX (1,904), Region XI (1,162), Region XII (1,195), Cordillera Administrative Region (1,176), at National Capital Region (1,709).
Samantala, 99.42 porsyento sa Region III (3,084 barangays); 99.60 porsyento sa Region X (2,014 barangays); 99 porsyento sa Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (2,581 barangays); 93.87 porsyento sa Region VIII (4,121 barangays); 90.47 porsyento sa Region XIII (1,186 barangays), at 53 porsyento sa MIMAROPA (770 barangays).
“Through the joint efforts of the DILG and the DOH, we can make our communities safer from COVID-19 by enabling Filipinos to take charge of their health through the help of our BHERTs,” ani Duque.