A diagnostic study of the implementation of Department of Health volunteer workers program

This report presents findings from a 1993 survey of 200 Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) from two Davao provinces and two Lanao Provinces in the Philippines. Premised on the belief that the BHWs are important in improving the delivery of health and family planning (FP) services in the countryside, the study examined the factors that affect the performance of these health workers. The study is basically descriptive in nature, with the view to diagnosing problems in the implementation and functioning of the program and suggesting appropriate solutions. The survey method was utilized as a main data collection tool. Beside the survey of volunteer workers, 300 clients were also interviewed to solicit their responses to questions regarding the performance of their BHWs. Focus group discussions were conducted to delve into issues identified in the quantitative analysis that needed further probing. Data in this report show that BHWs provide indispensable services to their communities.