a yearly nationwide Expanded Universal Medical and Dental-Check-up for students and teachers

Something heroic is happening in schools these days.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus recently forged partnerships with the public and
private sectors to bring preventive health care into the education system under
the Health Education Reform Order (HERO).

HERO addresses the problems of malnutrition and poor health among public
schoolchildren. It aims to enhance the health status of schoolchildren from poor
families in order to boost their academic performance, and ultimately give them
better chances of success in life.

The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed recently at the Legend Hotel in
Puerto Princesa City attended by representatives from the DepEd, DOH,
Department of Social Welfare and Development, League of Cities of the
Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, City Government of
Puerto Princesa, Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) and Philippine Medical
Association (PMA).

Under the HERO, “PCP and PMA, together with their local chapters shall launch
a yearly nationwide Expanded Universal Medical and Dental-Check-up for
elementary and high school students. The check-up will also include teaching
and non-teaching personnel of public schools nationwide.”
The Expanded Universal Medical and Dental Check-up will focus not only on
preventive health care but also in treating common illness and diseases
prevailing in a given district and locality.
Lapus said, “This Executive Order not only brings public health awareness into
the education system, but has also made preventive health care a multisectoral
advocacy.

Since its initial launch in September 2007, HERO has benefited some half a
million schoolchildren.
The DepEd’s Adopt-A-School Program, which has raised private-sector
involvement in public education, serves as the department’s vehicle for the
HERO initiative. Under this component, a number of feeding programs have
been carried out to address hunger among schoolchildren and improve their
capacity to learn.

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