THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has beefed up its partnership with Nippon Paint to provide a pleasant environment for tuberculosis (TB) patients and, at the same time, gather support from survivors themselves to help raise awareness on this dreaded disease.
Through the USAID-Tuberculosis Innovations and Health Systems Strengthening (TBIHSS) project, a five-year program implemented by FHI360, eight TB-DOTS clinics in the country were chosen to be repainted with murals and messages depicting the Department of Health’s Healthy Lungs campaign aimed at creating a welcoming space among TV patients seeking treatment.
“We want our TB-DOTS Center to be a safe and welcoming space for those with tuberculosis,” said USAID Philippines Project Management Specialist Tito Felipe Rodrigo on the importance of the tie-up with Nippon Paint to paint a future of a Healthy Pilipinas.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of Nippon Paint Philippines, who stood by us, showed compassion and support towards the fight against TB, and who have been generous in providing quality paints for the repainting initiative,” he added.
Pilot clinic
KICKING off this initiative was the Binangonan Regional Health Center’s Rural Health Unit (RHU) 3. Unfortunately, the nearby RHU 4 is undergoing renovations.
The Binangonan RHU was recently named one of the top-performing TB-DOTS Centers in the country. This could be mainly attributed to its successful case detection efforts to avert the spread of TV in the municipality, according to RHU Municipal Health Center Officer Dr. Angelito Dela Cuesta.
During the event, TB survivors who graced the unveiling of the center’s new look also signified their commitment to promote awareness on TV prevention and treatment in their respective communities.
“We need to improve how we are going to educate and give them incentives, inspire the people who are sick, and show them that there are people who are working tirelessly to bring their lives back to normal,” said Binangonan First Lady Dr. Rose Martha Callanta-Ynares, underscoring the pivotal role of innovations for disease prevention and treatment.
This nationwide project is set to benefit three more TB-DOTS Centers in Luzon, three in Cebu, and one in Dumaguete City.
Private sector’s support
ASIA’S premier coating manufacturer, Nippon Paint, is among the businesses that support this health initiative for many years.
“We want to be a part of this mission of raising awareness by transforming spaces and fostering creativity,” Nippon Paint Philippines Technical Director Leticia Noma said, while citing the importance of visual arts to further push health-seeking behavior especially in hard-to-reach areas.
The inaugural repainting used Nippon Weatherbond for the center’s exterior. This paint product can provide over 10 years of protection against fading and harsh weather conditions.
On the other hand, the interior walls were coated with Nippon Vinitex Fresh and Nippon Spotless, both of which have antimicrobial properties—helpful for recuperating TB patients.
Such collaboration with Nippon Paint is one of the many initiatives of USAID-TBIHSS project to raise awareness about TB and implement health processes and systems that will help the Philippines achieve its goal of eliminating TB by 2035.
Per DOH estimates, 70 Filipinos die daily from TB. In 2021, over 1.6 million Filipinos succumbed to this ailment. The agency, however, stressed that the disease is curable and that afflicted patients can seek treatment from any TB DOTS Center nationwide.