Why would you like to be on the NCDA Board of Directors?

While working in remote rural communities and having the opportunity to work at national levels, NCDs have always been increasing in terms of mortality in the past 5 decades of my medical practice. The situation in the Philippines is similar to other countries of the same socio-economic level. Being a member of the NCDA Board of Directors will give me the opportunity to alert global partners on the iniquities and unacceptable quality of care for people with NCD especially among the poor. So far, very few efforts have been given to help to prevent of NCDs as well as promote of healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Therefore the exchange of experiences in both policy and community action will enhance programs and policy directions in the Philippines, strengthening linkages with international institutions like universities, academe, and civil society groups. This also means opening up a new horizon of opportunities to really help people living with NCDs.

What makes you a good candidate for the NCDA Board of Directors?

My work experience — worked in government as Undersecretary and eventually Secretary of the Department of Health in 1995; worked 10 years in the grassroots, serving far flung rural areas; currently in the board of 12 civil society NGOs in the Philippines working among the marginalized communities. I was a Professor of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine; Vice Chancellor for Research of the University of the Philippines Manila and Executive Director of the National Institutes of Health Philippines 2002-2005. I also served as Regional Adviser in Health and Nutrition for East Asia and the Pacific Region of UNICEF in Bangkok in 1996. I have worked with WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, ILO, World Bank, ADB, AUSAID, JICA, E.U., GTZ, USAID.

Right after medical internship, I initiated the community based health programs in Leyte and Samar with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (1975-78). I was Assistant Professor of the U.P. School of Health Sciences in Leyte, pioneering the stepladder curriculum for health sciences education. I was National Training Director of AKAP, an NGO involved in community based tuberculosis control 1978-80; Project Director of Health & Development Mindanao, mainly Davao, Agusan and Cotabato 1981-83; UNICEF Manila National Program Officer for urban basic services, nutrition, children in especially difficult circumstances, 1985-1992.

Biography

Doc Jimmy has the rare combination of the following expertise: solid grassroots community work in far flung doctorless rural areas; national and international health planning and programming, a faculty of colleges of medicine and health sciences; clinical practice combining North American European medicine with Asian and Filipino traditional medicine; national health policy development, national health field operations management, private sector health business development, research management and local government health development. He has worked with NGOs, international development agencies, the academe and government agencies. He is also an advocate of Philippine medicinal plants and has formulated various concoctions of herbal medicine.