Medicine Cabinet
Reiner W. Gloor
A LANDMARK event is scheduled for May 4 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines along with AIM, supported by the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) and Havas Life, will be hosting “Health for Juan and Juana: Moving Forward with the Philippine Health Agenda.” This event is designed to look back at the gains of the past administration with its Universal Health Care (UHC) or Kalusugang Pangkahalatan (KP) platform, as background for developing the Philippine Health Agenda that the next Secretary of Health may pursue.
Notable personalities from past administrations, the academe and other experts have been invited to participate.
The program is divided into two sessions, with the morning focusing on the current state of the Philippine Health System. Former Health Secretary Dr. Manuel Dayrit is confirmed to facilitate, with current Health Secretary Janette Garin presenting the milestones and challenges and the national objectives for health. She can provide great insight as to what accomplishments have been made by the Department of Health (DoH) during President Benigno S. C. Aquino’s term.
The Ateneo Center for Health Evidence, Action, and Leadership (A-HEALS), headed by Dr. Dayrit, is also scheduled to present on current research efforts on UHC in the Philippines and if this has shown evidence that goals are being achieved.
Dr. Rebecca Ramos, a senior consultant and advisor for the Health Policy Development Program of the UPEcon Foundation, Inc. will also be on hand to review maternal and neonatal mortality in the past 25 years, , which continues to be a challenge for the Philippines, transitioning from the Millennium Development Goals to the new Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.
The morning session concludes with a panel discussion and an open forum for attendees, which should provide for a robust discussion. Among the panelists and experts from patient groups, civil society organizations, and the academe are Karen Villanueva from the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations; Karen Magsanoc-Alikpala, I Can Serve Foundation; Josef De Guzman, PsorPhil; Dr. Mianne Silvestre, Kalusugan ng Mag-ina, Inc.; PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander Padilla; UP College of Medicine Professor Emeritus Dr. Ernesto Domingo; Dr. John Wong, EpiMetrics, Inc.; Dr. Oscar Picazo, Philippine Institute of Development Studies; and Dr. Ute Schumann, European Union Philippine Health Sector Reform Contract.
The afternoon session will tackle the way forward for the Philippine Health Agenda from 2016-2022. This time, Dr. Dominga “Minguita” Padilla, Head Executive Staff — Office of the Chair and Secretary of Health, PhilHealth will be facilitating. Dr. Anthony Leachon, PCP Foundation president and PhilHealth board member, kicks off the presentations with how to address human resource gaps in the Philippines. Lessons from Local Government engagement in public health from the Zuellig Family Foundation will also be discussed by Ernesto Garilao, ZFF president. And finally, former Health Secretary Dr. Esperanza Cabral will propose a Health Agenda for the next six years.
Once again, the sessions will be capped off by panel discussions and an open forum, featuring former health secretaries, private sector and development partners, and LGU representatives. Among the confirmed panelists are former health secretaries Dr. Enrique Ona, Dr. Francisco Duque III, and Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan; Michael Toledo of the MVP Group of Companies; Jojo Figueroa, Ayala Health COO; Tomas Luke Marcello Agana III, PHAREX HealthCorp. president; Dr. Beaver Tamesis, PHAP president; Dr. Eduardo Banzon, ADB Senior Health Specialist; Caryn Bredenkamp, World Bank Senior Economist; and Dr. Camilo Roa, Jr., American College of Chest Physicians — Medical Mission Chair.
This will prove to be a pioneering effort, as discussions will be published in a document to be endorsed to the next Secretary of Health, including a scorecard that the experts attending and the public can keep track of for the next six years, thereby promoting transparency and accountability in the health sector. This is a great way to harness the collective effort of the public and private sector to help sustain and build on the good that has been done and address whatever gaps remain.
Limited seats are available for the public. Please call the PHAP office for inquiries at 865-5600 and look for Maja Hipolito.
Log on to www.phap.org.ph and www.phapcares.org.ph. E-mail the author at reiner.gloor@gmail.com.
