PALO, Leyte — The Department of Health (DOH) deployed 14 doctors to various underserved and hard-to-reach municipalities and puroks across Eastern Visayas to become front liners in the country’s mission to deliver quality and inclusive healthcare in the region.

Jelyn Malibago, regional information officer of DoH in Eastern Visayas, said the doctors were deployed under the Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) program to local government units with glaring shortage of medical practitioners, where doctor-to-patient ratio is below the ideal one doctor per 20,000 population.

Malibago said the doctors will be assisting in delivering healthcare services, including regular check-ups, vaccinations, health education, and emergency care. They would be providing support to local health workers and helping in strengthening the health systems’ capacity of their respective areas of deployment.

The 14 doctors were assigned to the towns of Liloan and Anahawan in Southern Leyte; Babatngon, Bato, Burauen, Calubian, Mahaplag, Palo and Palompon in Leyte; Naval in Biliran; Matuguinao and Motiong in Samar; Arteche in Eastern Samar; and Silvino Lobos in Northern Samar.

The DTTB program was created in 1993 of then Health Secretary Juan Flavier to address the lack of doctors practicing in rural communities in the Philippines. Since then, several batches of doctors have been deployed to various geographically isolated areas in the Philippines.