MANILA, Philippines — The National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) was signed into law by the Philippine Government on February 14, 2019, to strengthen health system capacities for better care, increase investments for essential programs and services for cancer patients, and provide support to Filipino cancer patients and their families.
While the groundwork has been laid for the law’s implementation, and significant gains have been achieved, the plight of many cancer patients continues to intensify, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, bringing to light the need to accelerate the implementation of the landmark law.
This and other topics on cancer care were among the issues discussed at Hope Matters: Lighting The Path for Better Cancer Care, a special event aimed to champion better access to cancer care for Filipino patients, recently held in Makati City.
The event, led by the Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association of the Philippines, in cooperation with The Philippine STAR, MSD, AstraZeneca and Ayala Malls, gathered cancer champions from different sectors including government, medical societies, patient advocates and the private sector for a live panel discussion, followed by a candle lighting ceremony to remember the courage and struggles of Filipino cancer patients.
Cancer survivor Jojo Flores explained the added challenges that patients have to overcome in order to receive their much-needed treatment.
“For cancer patients, it is collision of the two big C’s—cancer and COVID. The treatment for cancer patients is time-bound, but because of the COVID situation, many have not been able to receive their treatments. Hospitals and doctors had to focus on COVID-19 cases, and even transporting the patient to the hospital was a problem," he shared.
Flores added that although NICCA may take time to implement in its totality, there are aspects of the law that can already help save many lives, especially with early detection.
Watch the Hope Matters: Lighting The Path for Better Cancer Care event here to learn more about NICCA and how it can help cancer patients.
Better healthcare and benefits
The panel discussions began with a look at the state of cancer care in the Philippines. Flores was among the panelists for this first part of the program together with Dr. Arnold Uson, President of the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology; Dr. Ramy Roxas Director of the Cancer Commission of the Philippine College of Surgeons; and Engr. Emer Roxas, Executive Director of the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA).
Here, Dr. Uson talked about the risk of cancer among the population, in which he says one out of three males and females will develop cancer in their lifetime. Detection plays a big role in decreasing the number of cases.
“Education of the public is very important, the signs and symptoms, screening, and misconceptions on the screening methods,” he said.
Dr. Roxas, on the other hand, shared that the condition of cancer patients all over the world have been affected by the pandemic. He also talked about what he calls a "rebound surge’ in cases."
"Many hospital beds were reserved for COVID patients, many cancer surgeries and screenings were postponed, and there is a backlog of operations. The pandemic also exposed the lack of manpower in our healthcare services," he explained.
Another round of panel discussion gave updates on the NICCA Law after it was passed three years ago and where it is headed.
The panelists were Dr. Israel Pargas, senior vice president for Universal Healthcare Law Policy Development of PhilHealth; Dr. Clarito Cairo, Department of Health program manager; Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, Philippine General Hospital director; Teodoro Padilla, executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP); and Fatima Lorenzo, president of the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations (PAPO).
Dr. Pargas said the NICCA Law was created to address the gaps in what he called "the cancer continuum." These include access to diagnostics, cancer surveillance which checks a patient’s response to treatments, access to therapeutic procedures and access to medications, in which medicines not under the Philippine National Formulary may not be made available for free to cancer patients.
On the part of PGH director, Dr. Legaspi, he said the law can help bring more cancer care services to more parts of the country by making cancer screening and counselling available at the community level.
Dr. Cairo revealed that P529 million has been allotted in this year’s national budget towards the Cancer Control Assistance Program (CCAP) from the Cancer Assistance Fund. The guidelines, which were released on March 7, said that socio-economic conditions no longer limit access to cancer care programs, as this has been opened even to patients who are not classified as indigent.
Lorenzo, the PAPO president, called the NICCA Law a game-changer but said that it will take time to be fully implemented and to help mobilize more services, while Padilla, the director of PHAP, said that it will also need public support and private partnerships.
He added that it is important to overcome hurdles to make innovative and life-saving treatments that are available in other ASEAN countries also available in the Philippines.
As for the timeline of the NICCA implementation, Dr. Cairo said there are four phases: From 2021 to 2024 is the start-up phase of the National Integrated Cancer Control Program; from 2025 to 2027 will be strengthening the program; and from 2028 to 2030 will be about scaling up. From 2030 to beyond, it will focus on sustaining and improving the cancer program.
Current statistics in the country place cancer as one of the leading causes of mortality in the country. According to the 2018 Global Data on Cancer, more than 140,000 new cancer cases and more than 80,000 cancer deaths are expected in the Philippines every year.
A study conducted by the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Human Genetics, National Institutes of Health, finds that 89 of every 100,000 Filipinos are afflicted with cancer while four Filipinos die of cancer every hour.1
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Filipinos, followed by lung, colon, liver and prostate.2
Advocates needed
To help push for better cancer care in the Philippines, it is important for the public to be involved. The Hope From Within advocacy program aims to raise awareness about the conditions of Filipino cancer patients so that they can have better access to a holistic approach for their healthcare needs.
Andreas Riedel, managing director for MSD in the Philippines, affirmed their support for cancer patients and their families.
“Cancer patients and their families are not alone in this fight. We at MSD are one with the community in championing a multi-stakeholder approach to promote information, education and access to quality cancer care. Through Hope Matters: Lighting a Path for Better Cancer Care, we commit to continue doing our part in amplifying the voice of the Filipino Cancer patient and help usher them towards more hopeful tomorrows," he said.
Riedel hopes that more people will join in the crusade to bring more attention to cancer care in the country.
SOURCES:
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www.pna.gov.ph “Finding Options vs. Cancer”
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www.doh.gov.ph. “Implementing Rules for Cancer Act Signed”