Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial has announced that President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to sign an executive order that would make the Department of Health the sole distributor of drugs to combat tuberculosis to ensure that those afflicted with the disease get full treatment.
She said the President “has the political will [to sign the EO]. And if it will help the patients with tuberculosis, the President has the political will to do it.”
“The executive order that we’re asking the President to sign is really something bold in terms of ensuring that no drugs will be available in the private sector,” said Ubial.
She said thd EO would be one of the Duterte administration’s responses to the results of the 2016 National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey, which was released on Thursday.
The 2016 National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey results reveal that the number of new TB cases was reported at 554 per 100,000 populations is way above the WHO estimate of 322 per 100,000 populations in 2015. This means that around 1 million Filipinos are infected with TB and many of them are unaware of their health condition.
The survey further revealed that 41 percent (46,689 from 106 cluster barangays) interviewed with symptoms suggestive of PTB did not take action while 40 percent did self-medication. Only 19 percent consulted a healthcare worker. Primary reasons for the poor health seeking behavior included: perceived trivial nature of symptoms and costs related to work-day lost, travel, and medications.
he TB registry for 2016 reflected only one-third of the estimated prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary TB cases, suggesting under-notification to the national TB program. Related to this finding, the study has shown the use of Xpert (rapid diagnostic test) as a better diagnostic tool than culture. By using the WHO-recommended rapid sensitive diagnostic tool, an additional 51 percent of cases were identified.
Dr Gundo Weiler, WHO Country Representative to the Philippines, said the results of the TB survey are sobering – putting the Philippines amongst the most affected countries globally.
“It is now urgent to help more Filipinos find out about their TB infection, make treatment more patient friendly, and protect those on treatment from financial ruin. DOH has reacted fast and with a bold plan, and if we all work together we can overcome the TB epidemic”
With this move– making the anti-TB drugs available only to the DOH, Ubial said they can really capture the population and monitor TB patients. He said the medicines would be given for free.
She said the same method, where the government is the sole source of medicines, was applied by the DOH for leprosy.
“Only DOH has the drugs for leprosy, so all cases that are diagnosed really take the drug. It’s for free and they get complete treatment,” she said.
Ubial also said at least 3 million tuberculosis (TB) cases in six years will be detected through the use of X-ray screening under the three bold steps emboding the principles of the Sorld Hdalth Organization (WHO) Global End TB Strategy as the Duterte administration mounted the war against the sad disease.
The three bold steps that the government undertakes through the Department of Health (DOH) are finding TB cases more aggressively across the country, making TB treatment easier and more accessible for Filipinos znx providing financial protection to TB patients.
The steps also intend to include chest X-ray screening as part of the TSEKAP package, targeting 50% of Filipinos.
And to widen the reach of the program, Ubial said DOH endeavors to make TB control integrated with HIV and AIDS and other health programs.
“To complete the equation in the management of TB is linking case-finding with treatment with an aimed target of more than 90 percent of all diagnosed TB patients across the country,” stressed Ubial.
Saying that TB has been a longstanding health challenge in the country, Health Sec. Jean Ubial said the President and this administration has made the prevention and control of TB among Filipinos a health priority.
