Dr. Magdalena Meana, the health office chief, said the health education lectures, which are held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., are intended to increase the family members’ knowledge on the significance of environmental sanitation, proper nutrition, breastfeeding, dengue and tuberculosis prevention and control, dental care, proper hand washing and family planning, among other things.

Health education project implementor Dr. Elsa Olea said 13 City Health Office coordinators are assigned to every session and distribute leaflets and fliers to participants – which usually number 100 per session – to enable them to get a better understanding of the topics discussed.

Speakers and resource persons include nutritionists, midwives, nurses and sanitary inspectors.

Olea said the seminars target participants from remote and depressed areas or where there are large numbers of informal settlers or squatters because these are usually the sites where communicable diseases like dengue and diarrhea easily spread.

She said that if people are properly educated on the proper things to do to prevent sickness from getting worse, then hospitalizations or deaths will be prevented.

"We teach people the importance of washing their hands regularly, of drinking lots of water and natural juices daily to prevent common cough and colds, of cleaning their surroundings and their own backyards, and of taking a bath and brushing their teeth regularly," she said.

Olea said more than 2,000 families in about 50 areas have participated and benefitted from the program since it was started in July last year.

"Requests for our lectures from different communities kept on pouring into our office. Some are even repeat seminars," she said.

Aside from the community based undertakings, all of the city’s 12 health centers conduct pre-consultation lectures to people seeking free vaccination shots and medicines.

Olea said that while the mothers and fathers are waiting for the shots of their babies or for their routine check-ups, health center nurses teach them the essence of breast feeding, proper nutrition and physical and oral care.