about health iss\lcs; (4) mobi Ji;,:ing communily partnership s to identify and solve bea. lth prohlems; (5) developing pnlirir. '> :md r,lans tlwl support imlividual, family and community efforts: (6) enforcing laws ~111c. l regulations that protect health and e11surc s;ifety; (7) linking people to needed person.,11,eallb services,11rcl ensuring the provision nfhealth care tlrnt is ot. hen,;se 1111arnilablc; (8) c11suri1111, competent public health and personal health care workforc e; (9} C\'alualing cffccti"cm~ss. accessibility am. I quality of personal nnd population-based health sen:iccs;,and, ( w) rcst,;arcliing for new insights aml mnovative solutions Lo health problems. Public health nurses shoulc. l participal e in these cssenti,1I henllh services. The Philippine health care delivery system This section prescnls some of l. l Je major componen ts of the Philippine bcalth care delivery system tl1. it constitute l. 11e con Lex L of communi Ly health nursing-the Department of Health, l\lillcnnium Developmen L Goals. Medium-Term Philippi ne Development Plan, Health Set:tor Reform ;\genda. FOURmula One for Hca ltl1, National Objectives for Health and local health care system (dc\'olution of health services). Departme nt of Health The DOH leads tn efforts to improve tbc ·h L:ulth of Filipinos, in ponnership,\ith other government agencies, the p1;vate sector, NGOs and communiti es. \IVith the exception of a few governme nt agencies (such as the University of Lhe Philippines on<l Armed Forces of the Philippines) and,1ffluent cittcs (E;uch as Manila. Makoti and Quezon City) operating their own health facilities, the DOIi remains to be the national government's biggest health (particulal'ly curative) care provider. The DOH used to have control and supervision over all barangay health stations, rural health units and hundreds of hospitals throughout the country (special and specialty hospitals, medical centers. and regional, provincial. district und municipal hospitals). Today, only the regional hospitals, medical centers, special and spcc. inlty hospitals and a few re-nntiona. l ized provincial hospitals are directly under it. The DOH exercises rcgu latory powers over health facilities and products. lt takes the lead in the formulat io. n of policies and standards related to health facilities, health produ1>ts and health human resources. It provides LGUs the neces;;ary support in managing their local health system. It also implements a number of hel'lllh programs (Refer to Annex A3 for a listing of DOH health programs). The DOH has undergone transformation to be more responsive to its post-devolution function s. One of the major changes at the Central Office is the creation of the Bureau of Local Health Development, which is concerned with locnl health systems development, health care financing programs, quality improvemen t programs, inter-sectorn. 1 (public­ private) coordination and local projects. The direction being pursued by the OOH 1s guided by the Mlllen~ium Development Goals, Medh Jm-Te rm Phllippin·e Developme-nt Plan, Health Sector Reform Agenda, FOURmu la One and National Objectives for Health, 23 