THE Cebu Provincial Government recently formed a task force dedicated to the promotion and public education of traditional and alternative health care.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia signed Executive Order 10 on Feb. 15, 2021, which pushed the creation of the task force.
Traditional and alternative health care refers to the knowledge, skills and practices of health care—other than those under biomedicine—which are used in the prevention, diagnosis and elimination of physical and mental disorders.
“Many people cannot afford to buy medicine. But alternative health care, such as changing how you eat and eating more fruits and vegetables, can have a huge positive impact on the body,” said Dr. Dale Pasco, a surgeon and a traditional medicine practitioner. He is a member of the task force.
Aligned
According to a broadcast report by Sugbo News, the formation of the provincial task force is aligned with Republic Act 8423, also known as the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997.
The law creates the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care as a means to accelerate the development of traditional and alternative health care in the country.
Pasco also encouraged the public to heed Garcia’s call to use natural medicine, such as using herbs and medicinal plants, to strengthen their immune system.
According to the Cebu Provincial Government, the task force is also aligned with Sugbusog, the Capitol’s vegetable gardening program.
Through the task force, Garcia plans to train and educate barangay health workers and barangay nutrition scholars on traditional and alternative health care this year.
Garcia will serve as the group’s chairperson and Dr. Jaime Bernadas, director of the Department of Health Region 7, as the vice-chairperson. The members include representatives from government offices and various doctors who promote traditional and alternative health care. (NRC)
