Press Release/19 November 2011
(November 21 to 25, 2011)
 
Objective:  To heighten public awareness on the issues regarding the proliferation of counterfeit medicines, to educate the citizenry on the potential harm of counterfeit drugs and to give guidelines on how to avoid becoming victims of counterfeit drugs.
 
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will spearhead this year’s observance of the National Consciousness Week Against Counterfeit Medicine promulgated under Proclamation No. 2082 dated 15 June 2010, “Declaring the Third Week of November of Every Year as the National Consciousness Week Against Counterfeit Medicine”.  This year, however, the celebration is on November 21-25 with the theme “Para sa Kalusugang Pangkalahatan, Salot na Pekeng Gamot Sama-Samang Labanan”.

Press Release/16 November 2011

A task force of government agencies belonging to the Inter-agency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH), a government body created by virtue of Executive Order No. 489 that seeks to ensure public health through environmental protection, is currently working to make sure that ongoing clean-up and restoration of petroleum-leak affected areas in Bangkal, Makati adheres with existing international standards and procedures Presently, the country has no existing regulations and guidelines in the remediation of contaminated sites.

Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona and Indian Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Yogendra Kumar, during the 1st Philippine Global Healthcare Forum, vows strengthen the bilateral ties between the Philippines and India in the field of health and medicine, including medical tourism. Ona noted that globalization and rapid technological advancement has shrank the world making quality healthcare, technology and state-of-the-art medical techniques more available and accessible to everyone. He added that the Philippines can also compete to be another medical tourism hub because the Filipinos’ compassion, hospitality, and skills are recognized by other countries as evidenced by the growing number of medical tourists coming to the country every year. Also in photo are WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Woo-Jin Lew, Asian Society for Quality in Healthcare President Dr. B.K. Rana, and DM Healthcare Group and Healthcare Systems Executive Director Dr. Sanjiv Malik.  (11 November 2011, NKTI, Q.C.)

Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona, during the 43rdannual convention of the Philippine Society of Anesthesiologists, commends the country’s elite group of anesthesiologists in upgrading the people’s health through their dedication and accuracy in the practice of their profession and as partner of the Department of Health towards
the attainment of Kalusugan Pangkalahatan.  Ona, on the other hand, vows to continuously enhance all DOH facilities to improve health access and better health outcomes for Filipinos. (10 November 2011, Isla Ballroom, EDSA  Shangrila Hotel)

Press Release/9 November 2011

The increasing number of Filipino girls and women smoking cigarettes is becoming an alarming statistic for the country. In a 2009 study by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), the Philippines ranked the highest in the survey of girls and young women who have ever smoked a cigarette.  The study also showed a significant increase in smoking among girls 13-15 years old.

This rise of female smokers is brought about by the tobacco industry’s emerging strategies to target women to replace the numbers of smokers who have already died or quit the habit. The strategy involves portraying cigarette smoking as glamorous, liberating, and slimming.

Ana Maria R. Nemenzo, the National Coordinator of WomanHealth Philippines, said "people should realize that women compared to men are more adversely affected by cigarette smoking. Given the same environmental preconditions, women are more likely to develop lung cancer and die because of smoking due to several genetic and hormonal factors."

The Department of Health (DOH), represented by Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona, recently forged a tie-up with ePLDT to provide Filipinos access to medical assistance and health information. Operating 24/7, the project, dubbed as Call DOH, will be able to provide immediate aid and accurate information for queries on urgent concerns like dengue, meningococcemia, diseases outbreaks, health emergencies, availability of public health programs ancillary services for blood supply, rabies centers, and diagnostic clinics. The CallDOH project is initially available in Metro Manila, but will be rolled out across the country soon.(4 November 2011, DOH-OSEC)

On October 31, the Philippines welcomed its symbolic seven billionth baby, Danica May Camacho, at the Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital. Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona noted that the arrival of the seven billion world population is an achievement since this means that life expectancy has increased and that people are now living healthier lives. He urges all citizens to make concrete actions so that everyone does not become part of the problem but instead be part of the solution.

03 November 2011, Manila, Philippines

Tobacco control advocates rejoice over the recent vindication of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the case that was filed against them by Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI). PTI filed a petition to stop DOH and FDA from enforcing any form of regulation or supervision on tobacco products as dictated in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act of 9711 or FDA Act of 2009. The Las Piñas court denied PTI’s petition for lack of merit.

“This is indeed victory for the country! It’s high time public welfare is prioritized over the profit of an industry that ultimately kills its consumers,” says Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Cora Jimenez.

MMDA’s smoke-free campaign was also challenged in court by a security guard who admitted on national television that he was paid by a tobacco company to file the case. However, the court still issued a restraint against the MMDA.

Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona, shown here with regional, hospital and central office directors, checks on the Department of Health’s goal accomplishments for 2011 in terms of Philhealth enrollment, financial protection for the poor, and health facility improvement. Sec. Ona reported that presently about 12,500 health workers will be deployed to areas needing nurses, midwives and doctors. Also, about 44% of DOH-retained hospitals, 47% provincial hospitals, 39% district hospitals, and 34% rural health units are now undergoing improvements. Approximately 90% of all DOH-licensed hospitals are now Philhealth-accredited. The health chief also directed all directors to make all Philhealth enrollees aware of their benefits. (October 27-28, 2011, Oxford Hotel, Clark Field, Pampanga)

Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona, shown here with regional, hospital and central office directors, checks on the Department of Health’s goal accomplishments for 2011 in terms of Philhealth enrollment, financial protection for the poor, and health facility improvement. Sec. Ona reported that presently about 12,500 health workers will
be deployed to areas needing nurses, midwives and doctors. Also, about 44% of DOH-retained hospitals, 47% provincial hospitals, 39% district hospitals, and 34% rural health units are now undergoing improvements. Approximately 90% of all DOH-licensed hospitals are now Philhealth-accredited. The health chief also directed all directors to make all Philhealth enrollees aware of their benefits.

Press Release/October 27, 2011

The Philippines is ready for health PPPs! 

Thus declared Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona in a speech on health PPPs in the Philippines during the Asia Pacific High Level Meeting held last 24 October 2011, in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Center for International Exchange, seeks to explore the role of innovative partnerships in improving health in the Asia Pacific region.

Speaking before government officials, private sector members, non-government organizations and aid agencies, Ona shared the Philippines’ initial experiences in health PPPs, particularly the outsourcing of dialysis services at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute to the private sector.  The success of this initial PPP garnered the recognition of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe which has chosen Manila to be the site of its International Specialist Center for PPPs in Health. This center will be the international focal point in the identification, collection, analysis and dissemination of best practice in healthcare PPPs.