President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for Congress to pass the Universal Health Care Bill during his third State of the Nation Address last week was lauded by the health sector and health advocates all over. If enacted, the landmark law aims to provide adequate access to health care for all Filipinos.
There is, however, another critical piece of health legislation that is gaining momentum in both Houses of Congress poised to become landmark legislation that is fast gaining cross party and multi-sectoral support because of the universal fear and rising risk of cancer. The National Integrated Cancer Control Bill proposes a holistic approach to addressing the long-neglected gaps in cancer control that is causing the unnecessary death at a rate of thousands of Filipinos, thousands of loved ones, each year. A tragic reality that is rising each year.
Cancer is now the third leading cause of death in the country, a worrying trend that mirrors the global picture. The incidence of cancer worldwide is projected to increase by as much as 80 percent by 2030, with the greatest impact in low-resource countries like the Philippines.
The proposed cancer control legislation has found many champions. The first version was filed by Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas, who acknowledged that cancer, as a complex phenomenon, requires an integrated, multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral, and nationwide approach.
“Cancer poses a substantial challenge to our health systems,” he said. “It affects not just the patients but has a significant impact on their families, friends, and communities.”
Rep. Helen Tan, Chairperson of the House Committee on Health, prioritized the approval of the consolidated version of the bill filed by Vargas. It is now on its way to the all-important Committees on Appropriations, chaired by Rep. Karlo Nograles, and Ways and Means, chaired by Rep. Dax Cua. Very soon the bill will reach second reading with 200 members of the house as co-authors, more are expected to sign on.
Senator Sonny Angara, who had filed the counterpart Cancer Control bill in the upper house, had long emphasized the social dimension of a disease like cancer. Like Vargas, he’s called on the government to institute “an integrated and comprehensive approach [on cancer] to bridge the divide between rich and poor cancer patients.”
“We need to develop a system in which all people with cancer have access to high-quality and affordable cancer treatments,” he said. While there are many medical advances in cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, Angara said their costs are typically prohibitive, and therefore not an option for the poor.
Increased access to drugs for cancer treatment and expanded coverage for preventive and diagnostic services, he said, are just among the reforms needed to lessen the brunt of cancer on Filipinos and their families.
“Treating cancer isn’t cheap. The average cost for a year’s worth of treatment could run into hundreds of thousands to millions of pesos,” he said. It is for this reason that patients in the advanced stage choose to forego treatment. The alternative—using a life’s worth of savings for treatment—is not any better, he added.
Like Vargas, Angara believes it is absolutely critical to institute a “systematic, well-organized, well-coordinated, well-funded, patient- and family-centered integrated cancer control programs at all levels.”
Leading the charge in the Senate, Committee on Health Chairman Senator JV Ejercito filed his own counterpart version which, after committee level hearings, has already approved the committee report and has been submitted for plenary consideration. Aside from Angara and Ejercito, the consolidated version of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act, Senate Bill 1850, now has 14 more senators as co-authors: Loren Legarda, Nancy Binay, Frank Drilon, Migz Zubiri, Ralph Recto, Francis Pangilinan, Richard Gordon, Grace Poe, Sonny Trillanes, Win Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Cynthia Villar, Joel Villanueva, and Panfilo Lacson.
Outside government, the clamor for a cancer-specific law had gained ground over the years, led by patient groups, medical societies, and other health advocates. What began as fragmented efforts, the Cancer Coalition of the Philippines has evolved into a broad national coalition of cancer stakeholders. Its swelling membership indicates a vigorous constituency that counts supporters across the whole spectrum of Philippine society. A manifestation of the extensive hurt and unselective menace of cancer.
One of the most important objective of CCPh’s advocacy is making cancer treatment more affordable, if not free.
To quote their position statement, “As Cancer is a catastrophic disease which pushes families deeper into poverty, the financial burden can be overwhelming given that financial risk protection mechanisms are limited, and patients often need to shell out money from their own pockets to pay for treatment and other costs, such as medical supplies, food, and transportation.
Evidence shows that after12 months, cancer leads to the financial catastrophe of more than 56 percent of households. Add to this the overwhelming economic, social costs and losses in productivity and income for both the patients and his circle of benefactors. For poor and even middle-class sectors, studies show that abandonment of treatment to be as high as 75 percent.
The facts are so compelling and strikes a reticent fear that reminds all of us of our mortality. Fortunately, an army of cancer survivors and thousands of families affected by the catastrophic effects of the disease have found a united voice for a heroic legislative crusade that, if successful, will earn the personal gratitude of millions, a legacy beyond political lines and regimes.
Let us all join the fight against cancer. Let our lawmakers know that the urgency for cancer control is undebatable and the decades of neglect must change now. Let them know by your letters, e-mail, tweets, Facebook posts, and if you personally know a congressman, a senator or even the President. Kindly tell them to pass the cancer control bill now!