The Municipal Council of Sibulan, Oriental Negros, has passed an ordinance creating a special health fund to institutionalize the delivery of health services to their constituents.

Mayor Antonio Renacia said the health fund ordinance will ensure that the health programs will be sustained even with changes of leadership in the future.

The ordinance identifies health areas to be given budgets, particularly for family planning.

The budget includes expenses for counseling, public information and educational campaigns, and distribution of free family planning materials to indigent couples.

Renacia clarified that couples will have options to decide on the size of their families and what family planning methods and contraceptives they would use.

Aside from family planning, the special fund will also be used in the municipality's campaign against Vitamin A deficiency, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.

Renacia said the municipal health office hopes to cut by half the rate of tuberculosis in Sibulan within the next ten years, by ensuring that TB diagnosis, treatment, and information services are available and accessible to the community.*RG

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