Fit for School – an award-winning concept innovating school health in the Philippines

Fit for School (FFS) is a Philippine NGO supporting the health and education sector in the implementation of effective school health programs. FFS was awarded for Innovation in Global Health by World Bank, UNDP and WHO during the 2009 Global South-South Development Expo. The innovative cornerstone of the FFS concept is the use of existing school structures for the implementation of a package of preventive health strategies, called the Essential Health Care Programme (ECHP). The ECHP consists of simple, evidence-based interventions that address the most prevalent diseases of children in the Philippines: respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea, soil-transmitted helminth infections and tooth decay. The FFSP institutionalises: • Daily supervised handwashing with soap; • Daily supervised toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste; • Biannual deworming by supervised digestion of an albendazole tablet. Implemented in schools by teachers, EHCP introduces preventive health and behaviour measures aimed at sustainable healthy behaviour and long-term health improvements. The programme currently reaches 1 million children and aims to reach 50% of the public elementary school population within the next 3 years. Since the introduction in 2008 significant process and health outcomes were observed, such as improved national health policies, increased capacity in programme implementation and monitoring, improved water and sanitation facilities; as well as 40% decrease in caries rates. Detailed health outcome studies are in progress. This concept is a model for intersectoral /integrative collaboration to improve child health that can be replicated elsewhere if key principles are observed.