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HomeFront PageUHC, NICC laws give cancer patients new lease on life

UHC, NICC laws give cancer patients new lease on life

WHEN 66-year-old widow Gertrudes Calderon was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in May 2013, she feared the treatment costs more than what the disease will do to her body.
    
Calderon, at that time, works as “kasambahay” — her only source of income for their daily needs.
    
“Natakot ako noong una kong nalaman dahil sa aming anim na magkakapatid na babae ako lang ang meron. Nagkusa lang ako magpa-checkup nung nakapa ko na may bukol at mula sa maliit na bukol. Lumaki na ito pagdating ng Hunyo (I was scared when I first learned about it because among us six sisters I’m the only one who has it. I went to have a checkup when I felt a lump in my breast and from a small lump. It became bigger in June), she told Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.
    
According to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, cancer is the second cause of death among females and males in 2016 nationwide at 60,470.
    
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, in his speech at the First National Cancer Patient Congress on April 8, said cancer death toll for both adults and children is around 66,000 and there are 110,000 new cases diagnosed yearly.
    
Duque said the Department of Health (DOH) recognizes the burden — emotional and financial – that cancer patients face, that it is why the agency continues to provide medical assistance programs in its hospitals and selected local government hospitals, where the public can get free diagnostics and other medicines for cancer.
    
“(The) DOH offers free breast and cervical cancers screening for women 25 to 55 years old, and medicines, therapies for those who have cancer,” he added.

Cancer treatment cost
    
Calderon said she almost lost hope when she learned that she needed surgery, which would cost her hundreds of thousands.
    
“Sinabi ko sa mga doktor na wala akong pera para sa operasyon at may mga tumulong sa akin maipasok ako sa Ating Dibdibin Foundation noong July at naoperahan ako ng September nang matapos ang mga clearance na nilalakad ko (I told the doctors that I don’t have money for the surgery and someone helped me to become a member of Ating Dibdibin Foundation in July and I was operated on September when I finished the necessary clearances),” she added.
    
Calderon’s right breast was removed to keep the cancer cells from returning, her doctors said.
    
“Sinabihan ako ng mga doktor na kailangan ko ng chemotherapy, PHP120,000 daw iyon, pero nang sinabi ko na wala akong pera, pina-interview lang ako sa DOH at hindi nako nagbayad gaya ng iba. Wala akong binayaran kahit isang gamot o session, ang natatandaan ko lang na binili ko ay dalawang karayom dahil nabali iyong karayom na ginamit sa akin (The doctors told me that I need chemotherapy, it costs PHP120,000, but when I said I have no money I was interviewed by DOH and I didn’t pay for it unlike others. I didn’t pay any single medicine or session, I remember buying only two needles because the needles used on me broke),” she said.
    
Calderon added that the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office provided for all her medicines for five years while the DOH supplied her with tamoxifen, a medication for breast cancer patients, for two years and a half.

NICC Act, Universal Health Care law
    
Duque said cancer patients can now receive quality health care without financial hardship through the National Integrated Cancer Control (NICC) Act and Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, adding that both aim to ease the financial burden of cancer patients and their families by providing assistance for the early detection of the disease.
    
“Cancer care and prevention begin with the establishment of strong primary health care systems which enables early diagnosis, coupled with the social safety net which provides sufficient financial coverage. This complements of the NICC Act which utilizes mechanisms for the state to control quite complex treatment conditions of adult and childhood cancers,” he said.
    
With the NICC Act, Duque said the DOH has intensified the Philippine Cancer National Control program, which includes the establishment of 24/7 cancer centers in various DOH hospitals nationwide and continued provision of free medicines for breast, childhood and colorectal cancers.
    
“Recognizing that our resources are limited we commit to its judicious use through the institutionalization of the health technology assessment and price negotiation processes. This means for us to afford more conditions we’ll be benchmarking our reimbursements to the most cost-effective protocols,” he added.
    
Meanwhile, Cancer Coalition of the Philippines president Paul Perez said more cancer patients will have a fighting chance through the NICC Act, regardless of their status in the society, through sustained medication and reduction of “treatment abandonment”.
    
“Cancer patients and their families can look forward to life’s journey with new hope, especially the underprivileged, since they’ll now have better access to equitable and affordable cancer treatment and care,” he said.
    
Perez also underscored the importance of the law in boosting the efforts of various cancer awareness groups that are promoting cancer care, which include early detection, treatment, prevention and access to palliative care.
    
On February 14, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law Republic Act 11215 or the NICC Act which institutionalizes a “national integrated” program to control cancer.
    
Under the new law, the DOH is tasked to provide early and sufficient access to cancer medicines and “ensure highest possible chance of survival among people with cancer”.
    
The law also created the cancer assistance fund, which will support the cancer medicine and assistance treatment program and mandated the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to expand benefit packages for all types and stages of cancer.
    
Meanwhile, signed into law by Duterte on February 20, the UHC law makes all Filipinos members of PhilHealth, either as direct or indirect contributors, providing immediate eligibility and access to preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care for medical, dental, mental and emergency health services.
    
“Sa mga kababaihan na gaya ko, huwag po kayo matakot dahil maraming natutulungan ang DOH na may cancer, gaya ko na walang binayad kahit piso. Huwag kayo magpapabaya at suriin ninyo ang mga sarili ninyo bago lumala ang maliit na bukol (To women like me, don’t be scared because DOH helps a lot of cancer patients, like me who didn’t pay a single peso. Don’t neglect yourselves and observe yourselves before a small lump becomes big),” she said.
    
After six cycles of chemotherapy and five years of medication, Calderon has been declared cancer-free and is now enjoying her life with her daughter and grandchild.
    
“Sixty-six years old na ako ngayon, trese kaming cancer patients na naoperahan noong 2013, ako na lang ang natitirang nabubuhay sa amin. Nagpapa-bone scan ako, every six months nagpapa-X-ray ako at ECG ako dahil kailangan pero lahat walang bayad (I’m 66 years now, we were 13 cancer patients who had surgery in 2013, I’m the only one left alive. I undergo bone scan, every six months I have X-ray and ECG because it’s needed but all of them are for free),” she said. (PNA)

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