Background and rationale
The Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations (PAPO) is the umbrella organization of 50 disease-specific patient groups in the Philippines and is a member of the International Alliance of Patient Organizations (IAPO), a unique global alliance representing patients, which has a Non-State Actor status with the World Health Organization (WHO). Regionally, PAPO is a member of the Duke-NUS Center for Regulatory Excellence (CORE), the Coalition to Accelerate Patient Engagement (CAPE) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). Nationally, PAPO sits in various TWGs, Councils and Coalitions that help shape health policy. Our mission is to help build patient-centred healthcare in the Philippines so that the healthcare system is designed and delivered to answer the needs of patients.
In 2019, two landmark health laws were passed – the Universal Health Care Act (UHC) and the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA). The UHC Act or Republic Act 112233 seeks to ensure that all Filipinos have equitable access to quality and affordable health care and protection against financial risk. Major reforms seek to consolidate financing, increase fiscal space for benefit delivery, improve governance and performance of devolved local systems and institutionalize support mechanisms such as health technology and health promotion. NICCA or Republic Act 11215 on the other hand, aims to close the gaps and address the inequities along the cancer control continuum. The Department of Health and the Cancer Control Council developed the Strategic Plan 2021-2030 which will be carried out in four phases. In order to attain the vision of Cancer-Free Philippines, five (5) vital cancer control services were identified namely:
1) primary prevention
2) right information
3) early detection
4) complete diagnosis and
5) optimal treatment and care via multidisciplinary team approach.
The goal is to reduce by 10% the overall mortality from cancer by 2030.
In August 2023, the WHO introduced the Civil Society Commission whose mandate is to strengthen dialogue and foster collaboration with WHO and among one another. It will also provide recommendations to support WHO in this engagement at all levels (global, regional and national) towards the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (health for all) as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. This global movement to advance social participation demonstrates the need to engage patients, carers and the community so that it can mobilize resources, initiate and take responsibility, share in decision-making and help implement programs to improve the overall health status of its community.
It is against this backdrop of the need for action that the Philippine Patient Congress aims to bring together 300 patient advocates, caregivers, the government, academe, healthcare professionals and the private sector from across the country to share insights, experiences, and best practices in a spirit of collaboration and a united call to action. PAPO aims to strengthen patient advocacy in the country and participate meaningfully in co-owning and co-creating the solutions to achieving Health for All.
The Congress is organized by the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations (PAPO) and co-presented by other stakeholders such as the government, academe, healthcare groups and the business community is envisioned to add value on several fronts. It will also hopefully open avenues for further partnership and capacity building based on the learnings from the congress.
For other stakeholders, the Congress is an opportunity to understand the patient advocacy movement and its impact to the health system. The patient of the future is an empowered patient and expect a collaborative approach to care. Organizations that want to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive marketplace need to engage with patients on a more human level.
They need to move from the prescriptive model to the collaborative one. How? By anticipating people’s needs and building solutions rooted in empathy. People-centric approaches to healthcare transformation are here to stay and each organization needs to tailor its approached to meet the needs of its unique stakeholders.
Attendees include:
• Patient advocates, leaders and carers
• Government and policy makers
• Healthcare professionals
• Academe and researchers
• Industry representatives
• Civil Society Organizations
• Media