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The Makati . Business Forum |
Forum Updates 2004
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The Makati . Business Forum |
Forum Updates 2004
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... September 23, 2004 Brought to you by:
Excalibur PR Mgt. Consultants TB
wipes out 27.5 B pesos in foregone income every year 18 million Filipinos have TB; 75
die of TB everyday
(from left-right) Dr. Irene Santos, co-chair anti-TB committee, Rotary Int'l. district 3780; Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III, head of party, PHILTIPS (USAID); Dr. Rosalind Vianzon, NTB manager, DOH; Dr. Michael Voniatis, WHO TB officer, Phils.; Dr. Jupert Benedicto, secretary, PhilCAT and Esther Gallardo, forum moderator (partly hidden) during the Presentation of the "Philippine Rotary Initiative Against TB" at the Makati Business Forum. TB
or tuberculosis is a highly contagious illness caused by the germ
mycobacterium tuberculosis that is breathed into the lungs. Once breathed
in, these germs can settle anywhere in the body and cause TB. The most
common sight for TB is in the lungs. However, TB can also affect other
parts of the body such as the brain, bones, intestines and liver. There
are 2 billion currently afflicted with TB worldwide, with 8 million new
cases annually. All over the world, two million die of TB each year. Eighteen
million Filipinos are infected with TB, the fifth leading cause of
sickness and sixth cause of death in the country. It is a curable but
socially misunderstood disease; it kills an average of 75 Filipinos every
day and affects adults in their economically most productive years.
A
study made by the PhilTIPS, showed that disabilities and premature death
from TB wipe away a staggering 27.5 billion pesos (about US$490 million)
in potential income and benefits every year. In order to save more lives and lighten the economic burden of the disease, the private sector like the PhilTIPS and the Philippine Coalition Against TB (PhilCAT) another USAID-funded institution, help the government by improving the private sector’s practice of Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) for TB diagnosis and treatment, and reduce the prevalence of TB.
Dr. Michael Voniatis, Philippine TB officer of the World Health Organization, said that DOTS is a cost-effective strategy promoted by the World Health Organization WHO for controlling TB. It is in the forefront of the efforts being exerted in combating TB globally, he said. WHO has been supporting the program for the last 8 years, Voniatis added. By the end of 2005 the program will cover the whole country, as it is the focus to the regular program, he said. Voniatis
recognized the Philippines as one of the fastest countries to adopt and
expand DOTS in the government health system – from about 0% in 1995 to
nearly 100% of all government clinics by 2000. In 2001, the WHO credited
the Philippines as being one of only four countries having outstanding
performance in TB control by the government health system. According to
Dr. Voniatis, the WHO estimated that everyday, DOTS cure some 164
Filipinos of TB. In
February 2003, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) signed
an agreement with PhilCAT to launch an outpatient benefits package that
carries TB diagnosis and treatment, said Dr. Jupert Benedicto of the
Philippine Coalition Against TB (PhilCAT). This TB package is
unprecedented in the country, Benedicto emphasized. It makes available
P4,000 per TB patient to public and private clinics certified as
DOTS-ready by PhilHealth, he said. PhilCAT assumes the job of training the
referring physicians and certifying these centers. The
foregoing partnerships lead the way in promoting public-private mix in TB
control. Rotary’s Philippine Initiative Against TB is a welcome addition
to the fight. ▲ top
Rotarians join fight against TB ..
Dr. Virginia Irene Santos, president of the Rotary Club of Agham, Quezon City and co-chairperson of RI District 3780 Anti-TB Committee, with the Forum host who is also a Rotarian, during the presentation of the Philippine Rotary Initiative Against TB at the Makati Business Forum The Rotary Int'l. District 3780, under the leadership of its Centennial Governor George L. Howard (RY 2004-2005), with its 88 different Rotary Clubs in the entire Quezon City, rallied behind the Dept. of Health’s call to combat tuberculosis in the country. Rotarians led by Dr. Virginia Irene R. Santos, president of the Rotary Club of Agham, Quezon City and co-chair of the Rotary district 3780 anti-TB committee, introduced the “Philippine Rotary Initiative against TB” to the media at the Makati Business Forum held at the Fiesta San Miguel Bar, Dusit Hotel Nikko, Makati. The Rotarians offered to help in identifying TB cases in the different schools and communities throughout Quezon City. Rotarians also further offer to buy the necessary anti-TB vaccines for children, which the DOH does not have ample stocks of. This is in response to the DOH’s call for a more active private sector participation in combating TB in the country. Others partners in the fight against TB who attended the forum included Dr. Michael Voniatis, TB officer, Phils., WHO: Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III, head of party, Phil. Tuberculosis Initiatives for the Private Sector or PhilTIPS (USAID); Dr. Jupert Benedicto, secretary, Phil. Coalition Against TB (PhilCAT); Dr. Rosalind Vianzon, manager, NTB, DOH. Rotary
International is known for the success of its anti-polio campaign
worldwide. Bringing their management acumen into play, we expect that the
participation of business leaders in eradicating TB in the country will
end up as the same story of success.
(Excalibur News) ▲ top
ROTARY DECLARATION "STOP
TB 2005"
Fifty years after the identification of a definitive cure for tuberculosis, the disease remains prevalent at alarmingly high levels. Today, consensus has been reached at national and global levels that TB can be defeated only through concerted action by government working in partnership with private sector and organized groups.
We have a common mission to help ensure that every "patient with tuberculosis" has access to proper education, treatment and cure so that tuberculosis will no longer be a public health problem. We dedicate our participation in this fight to "STOP TUBERCULOSIS" to the Filipino people as our CENTENNIAL PROJECT in honor of PAUL HARRIS, founder of the Rotary Movement 100 years ago because we CARE and we want to SHARE our love to the Poor. ◄ back ■ front page ▲ top ► next |
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Copyright © 2004 The Makati Business Forum. All rights reserved. Manila, Philippines. |
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TB
is curable and treatment is available everywhere, said Dr. Rosalind
Vianzon of the DOH. For those who cannot afford the medicine, treatment is
free of charge, Vianzon added. Medication should be given religiously
during the prescribed time, she stressed, because treatment will be at a
higher level and for a longer time due to the resistance that the TB virus
develops against the medicine. According to Dr. Vianzon there are 300,000
TB cases prevailing in the Philippines every year, and for every 100,000,
134 are new cases.
