The role of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) under Republic Act No. 7883 in enhancing community health in San Pablo City, Laguna: An assessment of challenges and opportunities

As key actors in the Philippine health system, Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) bridge the gap between the government and underserved populations by providing essential health services at the grassroots level.  The study examined the roles of the BHWs as a health education and promotion officer, health service provider and community organizer in enhancing the community health in San Pablo City, Laguna. Questionnaires were answered by 77 BHWs through google forms. Demographic profile of the BHWs were identified using frequency and percentage distribution. The mean and standard deviation were utilized to determine the level of effectiveness of the roles performed by BHWs in terms of enhancing the community health of San Pablo. To test the hypothesis, Pearson Correlation was utilized. In this study, the descriptive-correlational research design was adopted and this described the challenges and opportunities available to enhance the community health in San Pablo City. Purposive sampling was used for selecting BHWs. The BHWs who participated have relevant knowledge and experience with at least 6 months experience. A sample size of 50-70 BHWs were targeted to easily manage and provide sufficient data, 77 of the BHWs answered the questionnaires. Results show that BHWs are effective in their role as health education and promotion officer, health service provider and community organizer.