A recent visit of specialists from the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center (BRHMC) gives hope for Catandunganons who have high risk of developing cancer.
Together with officials of the Provincial Health Office, hematologist-oncologist Dr. Renee Myla Balang, pediatric oncologist Dr. Vincent Aguilar and surgical oncologist Dr. Jan Christian Aramburo informed Governor Patrick Alain Azanza that the effort is part of the Department of Health’s plan to implement a Cancer Referral Network in the Bicol region, with the island province as the pilot site.
Local doctors, specialists and healthcare workers attended a two-day Basic Course on Cancer in preparation for their role in cancer prevention, early detection, control, patient navigation, and registry.
The DOH plan is part of the 2024-2028 National Integrated Cancer Control Program (NICCP) Strategic Framework, mandated under the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) of 2019, aimed at improving access to cancer centers, providing financial support, and establishing a multi-sectoral council for policy making, planning, and coordination in cancer prevention and control.
The law led to the establishment of the Cancer Assistance Fund with P1.25 billion allocated in 2024, offering financial support for various interventions, and the Cancer and Supportive-Palliative Medicines Access Program, by providing free medicines for the most common cancers.
The act also supports the Cancer Specialty Centers identified in the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan that provide comprehensive cancer care, along with the Primary Care Facilities that are given the role of prevention, screening, and early detection.
Statistics show that in 2022, the Philippines recorded 188,976 new cases of cancer, with 113,369 deaths in the same year.
There is a 19 percent risk of developing cancer and a 12 percent risk of dying from it before one reaches 75 years.
The top five leading cancers by frequency are lung, colorectum, prostate, liver and leukemia for males, and breast, colorectum, cervix uteri, lung and ovary for females.
In Catanduanes, cancer of all types accounted for 119 deaths in 2022 and was the 5th leading cause of mortality behind hypertensive heart disease, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and pneumonia.
In the absence of specialized facilities in the province, cancer sufferers have to seek treatment in the mainland which is an option that is not feasible for poor families.
Although Immaculate Heart of Mary Hospital in Virac has a cancer doctor visiting every three weeks to administer chemotherapy treatment, majority of cancer patients from Catanduanes are believed to be regularly commuting to hospitals in Metro Manila and the Bicol mainland.
Aside from the DOH Cancer Assistance Fund, PhilHealth members can also avail of its Z benefits providing financial risk protection against medically and economically catastrophic illnesses, including cancer.
A number of government agencies such as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and private organization also offer assistance but one would have to join early morning queues in Metro Manila.
With the cost of cancer treatment ranging from P120,000 to more than P1 million, and chemotherapy cost running from P20,000 to as much as P150,000, having cancer is not only physically and mentally draining on the patient but also financially debilitating on the family.
Alongside its health promotion campaigns to educate Filipinos about behaviors that can reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers, the DOH plan to establish a pilot cancer referral facility in Catanduanes would provide prevention and detection services, is a welcome development to every family increasingly aware of the cost of having cancer.