PEN-Plus Orientation Manual for Mid-Level Health Care Workers

Overview

The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) has officially released a new standardized orientation manual under the Package of Essential Non-communicable Disease Interventions-Plus (PEN-Plus) program to strengthen primary care capacity and decentralize management for severe non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Program Objective & Operational Guidelines

• Objective: Orient healthcare personnel at local facilities (health posts, PHCs, basic hospitals) to strengthen NCD screening, diagnosis, treatment, and referral management.
• Target Audience: Medical Officers, Health Assistants (HAs), Auxiliary Health Workers (AHWs), Staff Nurses, and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs).
• Facilitator Profile: 3 trainers per batch (Medical Officer or above, trained in PEN-Plus).
• Delivery Model & Duration: 1-day program (7 total contact hours) featuring interactive, Q&A-driven sessions to check participant understanding continuous throughout delivery.
• Batch Setup & Logistics: Maximum of 30 participants arranged in a ‘U’-shaped classroom format. Required tools include a multimedia projector/screen, orientation manuals, writing board, board markers, newsprint paper, and flat-tip markers.

List of Covered Diseases:

• Asthma
• Acute Rheumatic Fever
• Rheumatic Heart Disease
• Congenital Heart Disease
• Pediatric Cancer
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Thalassemia
• Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
• Intellectual Disability
• Autism
• ADHD / Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Epilepsy.