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Engaging Multisectoral Partnerships for TB-free Workplaces in the time of COVID-19

December 10, 2020 @ 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

TB webinar ECOP-USAID

Background to the webinar

Background to the webinar

The COVID-19 pandemic is not only a public health crisis but also a social and economic one. This unprecedented shock to economies and labour markets is threatening livelihoods and the wellbeing of millions of people in both developed and developing economies. The ILO’s early estimate was that 305 million people are at risk of losing jobs either becoming unemployed or underemployed, of which 65.8 million in Asia and the Pacific. This implies that many of these workers will face a loss of income and deeper into poverty.

 

Pre COVID 19, the Philippines passed a new law on occupational safety and health or the Republic Act 11058, an Act Strengthening Compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Standards and Providing Penalties for Violations. The law mandates all workplaces to install workplace OSH program including TB.   While the strengthened OSH law was considered a victory among OSH advocates in the Philippines, the Bureau Working Conditions (BWC) reported that there is only 50.5% compliance from the 49,482 establishments inspected in the period of January to August 2019.  In the same report the Bureau cited that among the most prevalent violations include the absence of OSH personnel (safety officers, first aiders, etc), no record of annual medical reports and the absence of functional OSH committee.

On hindsight, Tuberculosis (TB) remains the number one infectious killer in the Philippines as it claims the lives of over 70 Filipinos every day. There are also one million Filipinos who have active TB disease, placing the Philippines as the highest prevalence rate in southeast Asia and fourth in the world. While TB is preventable and curable, many Filipinos continue to die from this dreadful disease. Thus, the Philippine government is making this a priority and that the DOH is committed to three ‘business-not-as-usual’ strategies for our all-out-war against TB: (1) high-level commitment, (2) massive screening, testing, and treatment, and (3) mandatory notifications by the private sector.

 

TB in the COVID 19 times.  As the world comes together to tackle the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is important to ensure that tuberculosis (TB) prevention and care approaches are adapting appropriately to offer uninterrupted, safe and high-quality TB services. Considering the similarity of TB and COVID-19 illnesses in disease presentation and transmission, as well as synergies in the response (e.g. prevention, infection control, adherence support, etc), the pandemic presents many questions for the TB field that require learning through research and innovation.

 

 

Short description of what the session is about

The DOH observed the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reporting of tuberculosis cases in the Philippines.  From January to March this year, the National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) of the DOH recorded a total of 88,662 new and relapse TB cases, declining steeply by almost 20% between February (30,728) and March (24,782). The DOH sees this as a direct effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on a critical disease prevention and control program like TB particularly because the quarantine may have extremely affected and limited the health-seeking behaviors of our fellow Filipinos.

This webinar session for business will focus on contributing to keep all relevant stakeholders up to date with this issue/concern.

The session will discuss the challenges faced by relevant stakeholders on TB in the workplace initiatives. The forum will bring together participants from enterprises, business, labor groups and members of the government and think tanks.

The session will be an opportunity to provide an outlook on the impact that this pandemic has on the ongoing initiatives to combat TB and other communicable diseases in the workplace and the overall implementation of the strengthened OSH law.

 

Session objectives:

At the end of the session, resource speakers and participants will be able to:

  • Understand the TB situationer and the Philippine government’s response amid the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Understand the rapid assessment findings conducted among ECOP members in relation to implementation of TB in the workplace and impact of COVID-19
  • Learn about the business association model, communication plans, and field experiences in implementing TB in the workplace
  • Appreciate the minimum health standards and challenges for TB prevention and care in the workplace from the perspectives of government agencies, employers, organized labor and informal sector
  • Be aware of new policy guidelines developed by relevant stakeholders in OSH and TB in ensuring the safety of workers, including the promotion of TB protocol/ policies and workplace practices in the context of COVID 19.

 

Methodology:

  • Presentation of resource persons
  • Sharing of survey findings for inputs and insights from key stakeholders
  • Panel discussion with key stakeholders in the workplace based on guide questions
  • Open forum
  • Synthesis of agreements and ways forward

 

Confirmed Speakers

Confirmed Speakers:

Teresita Cocueco

DR. MA. TERESITA S. CUCUECO, CESO III Assistant Secretary Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)

 

Dr. Anna Sofia Victoria S. Fajardo

DR. ANNA SOFIA VICTORIA S. FAJARDO National Secretary Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM)

 

SUSANITA G. TESIORNA

MS. SUSANITA G. TESIORNA National President Alliance of Workers in the Informal Economic Sector (ALLWIES)

 

Moderator:

MR. JOSE ROLAND MOYA
Director-General
Employers Confederation of the Philippines

 

 

This webinar is FREE OF CHARGE

 

Registration

Visit this link to registerhttps://tiny.cc/TBWebinar
or you click the button below

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

or scan the QR CODE:

For inquiries, please contact Ms. Shiela Ramos at [email protected]

 

Main Organizers

Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)

USAID TB Innovations and Health Systems Strengthening

 

Co-Organizers:

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-BWC, DOLE-OSHC)

Department of Health (DOH) National TB Program (NTP)

Federation of Free Workers (FFW)

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)

Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM)

Occupational Health Nurses Association of the Philippines (OHNAP)

Alliance of Workers in the Informal Economy/Sector (ALLWIES)

 

TB webinar ECOP-USAID

Details

Date:
December 10, 2020
Time:
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Event Category:

Venue

via ZOOM
Philippines

Organizer

ECOP CSR
Email:
shielamarieramos.ecop@gmail.com