Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) from the host communities of Hinatuan Mining Corp. (HMC) were taught first aid and basic life support in a series of training conducted by the Philippine Red Cross.

HMC, a subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC), tapped the services of Philippine Red Cross-Surigao Del Norte (PRC-SDN) Chapter to facilitate two training sessions for the health workers of Barangay Talavera, Sitio Bagong Silang and Sitio Campandan.

The first training: “Skilled-Up Community Based Health and First Aid Training for Community Health Workers” was conducted from May 9 to 11.

The second training, entitled “Basic Life Support--CPR and Automated External Defibrillator for Community Health Workers was held from May 23 to 26.

According to Myline B. Ragas, HMC Community Development Coordinator (CDC), the company wanted to provide its community health workers with access to skills development and enhancement, so it sponsored the training.

“We want to provide our community health workers with access to skills development and enhancement and one way to do this is by tapping experts in this field, specifically a training team from the Philippine Red Cross,” said Ragas.

HMC used its Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) fund for the said training.

“Both trainings were intended to benefit the 22 BHWs from the three host communities of HMC - 11 of them are from Barangay Talavera, 6 from Sitio Bagong Silang, and the remaining 5 are from Sitio Campandan,” she added.

The staff from the PRC-SDN who conducted the training for the community health workers included Facilitator Jaypee Dwight M. Lim with Support Volunteers Maria Arnitz Pedrera and Romeo Cortes.

“The training is very important to the BHWs. These training give emphasis to their vital roles in their community and provide them with knowledge and skills in the delivery of Primary Health Care knowing that they reside on an island far away from the hospital,” said Lim.

For Miselda A. Lasaca, a BHW from Sitio Bagong Silang, “the training gave her skills she could use as a BHW in her community, the training is very important to our work.”

Lilibeth G. Becera, another BHW from Sitio Bagong Silang, also shared the same sentiment as Lasaca saying, “We have learned a lot from the trainings, we can apply what we’ve learned to the needs of our respective catchment areas and we can also disseminate the information related on health matters discussed during our training.”

Michelle Turtur, a BHW from Sitio Campandan, also learned a lot from their training, “I have learned the steps in community assessment, the importance of identifying the risks and vulnerabilities of a community using a spot map. I also gained more understanding about primary health care regarding non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases, maternal and child care breastfeeding, and family planning.”

“I am thankful to HMC and the Philippine Red Cross for the training, I really learned a lot that I can apply to my work as a BHW,” she added.

Retchel Destajo, a BHW from Barangay Talavera, was also grateful for the training, “First of all, I would like to give thanks to HMC for sponsoring and the Philippine Red Cross for facilitating the training. My knowledge regarding BHW work has improved along with my skills. I can use all that I’ve learned to cater for the needs of those who would need my services as a BHW in my community.”

Aside from being thankful to HMC and Philippine Red Cross, Naneth Terado, a BHW from Barangay Talavera, also learned how to care for the sick, especially those that are in bed-ridden condition.

“We can also share with others what we’ve learned during our training to further enhance the knowledge of our community in matters of health,” she said.

For Criselda Anito, Barangay Talavera BHW, the training is vital since for her it greatly helps in the care for her family, “I can use the skills I’ve learned for the good of my family and to the residents of my catchment area. The skills I’ve gained from the training are very useful, not only in times of emergencies but also in our day-to-day lives.”

“Having a community with skilled BHWs is an important aspect for the development of a community. This helps ensure that the community will be healthy. A healthy community is a productive community,” said Myline B. Ragas.

For his part, Lim said the company plays a vital role in providing capacities within the barangay.

“The support provided by HMC makes their host communities resilient in a way that they provide capacity building training to their front-liners that boosts their knowledge, skills and confidence in providing services to the people,” he said.