DOH launches Healthy Pilipinas web site to counter misinformation, fake news

DO you know the “seven Healthy Habits” being promoted by the Department of Health (DOH)? These are:

■ Move Move

■ Be Clean, Live sustainably

■ Get vaccinated

■ Don’t smoke, lessen alcohol, say no to drugs

■ Care for yourself, care for others

■ Practice safe sex

■ Do no harm, put safety first

This was mentioned by Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, concurrent Director Iv of the Health Promotion Bureau and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, during the launch of Healthy Pilipinas web site recently.

The seven Healthy Habits campaign teaches the public different health-promoting actions and behaviors.

Healthy Pilipinas web site

TOGETHER with its partners the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare association of the Philippines (PHAP) and United states agency for International Development (USAID), the DOH launched the Healthy Pilipinas web site which is envisioned to become a “unified data platform for health promotion” for the Filipino digital public, backed by the guiding principles of accuracy, inclusivity, collaboration, responsiveness, and user-friendliness. Internet use continues to be one of the biggest pastimes in the country, which underscores the need to reach Filipinos online in a world becoming more and more digital.

“There is a need to provide timely and accurate health information, especially now, not just because of the pandemic, but because it is so easy to be misinformed on social media. The Healthy Pilipinas web site will be a credible source that you can turn to. I envision this endeavor to reach even more Filipinos as it expands and becomes part of our everyday life,” explained Dr. Ho.

More than just addressing health literacy, Dr. Ho stressed that the web site will also enable supportive environments for health promotion. This would include tips, articles, and downloadable materials for local implementers.

The Healthy Pilipinas web site will be aligned with existing and future DOH efforts aside from the seven Healthy Habits campaign that teaches the public different health-promoting actions and behaviors.

It is also linked to the Covid-19 and Resbakuna campaign pages of the main DOH web site for unified messaging and information regarding the pandemic and vaccination efforts.

The web site will also leverage social media to allow sharing of long-form articles on existing platforms like the Healthy Pilipinas Facebook page, DOH Twitter account, and DOH viber community among others.

“Filipinos need health information that is accurate, accessible, and culturally contextualized. Healthy Pilipinas is a platform that can cater to this need. This launch is just the beginning, and I hope we can collaborate with institutions and individuals within and beyond the public health community to realize the web site’s full potential,” added Dr. Gideon Lasco, a medical anthropologist, columnist and a consultant of the Healthy Pilipinas web site editorial team.

Support of PHAP and USAID

PHAP and USAID were eager to step up and support the project when it was presented to them.

“PHAP is honored to collaborate with the DOH in its efforts to provide the Filipino people with verified information and slow the spread of misinformation,” PHAP Executive Director Mr. Teodoro Padilla said.

Padilla said that they know that health misinformation is a serious threat to public health as it can cause confusion, harm people’s health and undermine public health efforts.

“We commend the DOH Health Promotion Bureau for this strategic digital communication initiative as well as PHAP Members Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis and Pfizer for being one with us in this endeavor. We aspire that through the Healthy Pilipinas web site, we can empower more Filipinos to make health decisions based on accurate information wherever they may be,” Padilla added.

For her part, Michelle Lang-alli, Usaid’s Director of the Office of Health, said that in this time of rampant disinformation, it is important that the average Filipino can get accurate and trusted health information especially during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries and the 60th anniversary of USAID here in the Philippines, we reiterate our commitment to help improve the health of Filipinos, especially the vulnerable and marginalized,” she said.