Health & Nutrition Services

Public Health Services

• La Union population in 2001 stood at 666,386 and climbed to 723,189 in 2006

• Recorded annual population growth rate was 2.09% from 1995-2000. Per NSO population projection, the province population is seen to double in 33 years time.
• Crude birth rate showed a downward trend from 23.57% in 2001 to 22.06% in 2006
• Crude Death Rate recorded a slight increase from 5.38% in 2001 to 5.55% in 2006 per 1000 population.

• An increase was noticed in the infant mortality rate from 9.87% in 2001 to 14.54% in 2006 with pneumonia / broncho pneumonias as the leading cause of mortality

Infant and Maternal Mortality Rate/1000 Population

• Maternal Mortality Rate posted an increase from 0.127% in 001 to .13% in 2006 per 1000 live birth population.
• Number one(1) cause of morbidity in 2001 was Acute Respiratory Infection while in 2006 was Bronchitis.
• Morbidity Rate based on the ten leading causes showed an increased from 55.57% in 2001 to 81.4% in 2006.

• Average life expectancy at birth increased from 61.6 years in 1980 to 69.4 years in 2000.
• In terms of health manpower, there were 365 health personnel assinged in various public health facilities in the province which 23 are physicians, 50 nurses, 10 dentists, 9 dental aides, 203 midwives, 11 medical technologists and 61 sanitary inspectors. Shown in the table below is the manpower to population ratio.

Manpower To Manpower Ratio

• Compared to the previous years, a dramatic increase of probable dengue fever / dengue hemorrhagic fever cases was noted in the province. In 2001, about 932 dengue fever cases with 5 deaths was recorded but dropped to 664 cases and 2 deaths in 2006. These are mostly found in urbanized municipalities.

Dengue Prevention and Control Data

• Although tuberculosis is a preventable and curable disease, it still remained as a major health problem with registered TB symptomatic of 3497 in 2001 and 3829 in 2006.

Tuberculosis Treatment Data

• Lifestyle diseases like cardio vascular diseases, heart diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hepatitis were among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the past 5 years (2002 - 2006)
• Prevention and monitoring of hypertensive cases was slightly affected by the absence of effective and functional BP apparatus at the barangay level.

Lifestyle Diseases

• Preventive and curative dental services not fully implemented due to shortage to dental manpower, dental supplies and medicines.

Preventive and Curative Dental Services

Hospital Services

• Total number of hospitals in 2006 was 19 of which 7 are government owned and 12 privately owned hospitals.
• Government owned hospitals have 515 beds capacity or 61 percentage share compared to 329 beds or 39% for privately owned hospitals.

Number of Hospitals and Beddings

• All devolved hospitals registered an increased in the in-patient care with number of patient days from 21,081 in 2001 to 67,769 in 2006, this is a reflection of more admission of PhilHealth patients due to improved hospital facilities.
• Out patient consultation ballooned from 123,930 in 2001 to 184,167 in 2006.

 In and Out Patient Consulted

• Laboratory Services made an upward trend from 113,167 exam done in 2001 to 247,020 in 2006.
• Prescriptions filled ballooned from 95,933 in 2001 to 305,500 in 2006 due which provided an increase in the sales f the 24 hour Pharmacy installed in all the devolved hospitals.

 Laboratory Services & Prescription Filled

• Hospital Revenue collections climb from Php 1,764,010.00 in 2001 to Php 66,547,864.00 in 2006.
• Revenue from cash pharmacy speeds up from Php 247,570.00 in 2002 to Php 11,665,731.00 in 2006.

Hospital Revenues

• Quantified charity services provided to indigent patient boomed from Php 12,687,367.00 in 2002 to Php 19,893,659.00 in 2006.

Charity Services

Nutrition Program

• Pre-school children weighed manifested a slide down from 113,772 in 2001 to 79,847 in 2006 due to the implementation of the International Reference Standard (IRS) of weighing, where in 0-83 months children were weighed before the IRS was implemented, now only 0-71 months are being weighed.
• About 589 Barangay Nutrition Scholars were deployed and maintained in the 576 barangays province wide.
• Malnutrition rate of pre-school children increased from 4.37% in 2001 to 10.23 in 2006. The same picture for the Malnutrition Rate of in-school children which recorded an increase from 9.55 in 2001 to 18.84 in 2006 due to IRS implementation.

Nutrition Program

• Vitamin A supplements was provided to high risk groups like infants (6-71 months old) slightly went up from 59,599 in 2001 to 94,436 in 2006; post partum mother given Vit A supplements climbed from 2,313 in 2001 to 7,205, and pregnant mothers given Vit A decreased from 3,168 in 2001 to 1808 in 2005.

Vitamin A Supplements

• Iron supplement given to pregnant mothers accounted an increased from 5,809 in 2001 to 7,906 in 2006 and post part mothers went up from 1904 in 2005 to 5,503 in 2006.
• Iodine supplements given to 14-59 years old women registered an irregular trend from 6,977 to 10,266 in 2002 and 318 in 2006.

Iron and Iodine Supplements

• Diarrhea cases given Oresol among children below 5 years old registered and erratic record from 2002 to 2005.
• A total of 1,430 pnuemonia cases were seen, of which 13.84% were given treatment in 2005.

Control of Diarrhea and Pneumonia Disease  

Population Management Program  

• Per NSO 2000 census, about 3.26% or 21,462 are in-migrants from other provinces and other countries.
• About 34% or 245,342 young population or dependents comprise the provinces population.
• Province’s population density increased from 446  in CY 2001 to  484 in CY 2006 which means that 484 persons more were added to the occupants of a square kilometer in 2005. NSO projection revealed that the province’s density is expected to increase to 499 persons per kilometers by CY 2008 and this would mean putting strain on existing province’s scare resources.
• FP acceptors and users continued to increase from 56,761 in 2004 to 61,046 in 2005 but acceptors and users of artificial FP methods (IUD      and injectable) went down from 3205 to 2795 in 2005.
• FP Prevalence rate climb from 47.54 in 2004 to 54.44 in 2005.

Family Planning Acceptors & Prevalence Rate