House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Senators Risa Hontiveros and Raffy Tulfo lead an honored group of personalities expected to grace the first Philippine Patients Congress on August 29 to 30 at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) offices in Mandaluyong City.
With the theme “Hand in Hand for Universal Health Care,” the Congress is organized by the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations (PAPO) and co-presented by Roche (Philippines) Inc. and other stakeholders such as the government, academe, healthcare groups, and the business community.
Dr. Diana M. Edralin, General Manager for Pharmaceuticals of Roche (Philippines) Inc. and President of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), lauded the PAPO and the organizers of the Patients Congress.
“We in Roche believe that through our close collaboration with PAPO and other patient groups, we can truly shape the healthcare system to benefit Filipinos at less cost to society,” Edralin said.
“Our commitment to patient inclusivity paves the way for meaningful partnerships, with a strong shared purpose of putting patients first at the heart of healthcare,” she added.
The 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).
Nationally, PAPO sits in various technical working groups, councils, and coalitions that help shape health policy. Its mission is to help build patient-centered healthcare in the Philippines so that the healthcare system is designed and delivered to answer the needs of patients.
