TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, Sept. 02--- Access to treatment of breast cancer in the Davao Region is seen to become much easy at a much affordable price as the Davao Regional Hospital now runs the Breast Cancer Medicines Access Program (BCMAP).
During its launching in DRH in August, BCMAP program manager, Dr. Anna Melissa S. Guerrero explained BCMAP as a program under the National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management of the Department of Health.
Aimed at addressing the gaps in treatment of breast cancer, the BCMAP applies the United States modelled Patients Navigation Program through which a nurse is assigned to closely monitor the treatment and management of breast cancer.
The success of BCMAP implementation is anchored on NCPAM’s partnership with the Philippine Cancer Society, Inc. (PCSI) and with the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) Pharma Inc which is a government owned and controlled corporation tasked to provide low-priced quality medicines.
While something can be done for early detected breast cancer cases, patients are found seeking late treatment though medicines for such disease have been made more affordable and management of such is made more systematic, Dr. Guerrero revealed.
“Cancer treatment can be affordable,” she said in a press conference at the Davao Regional Hospital.
In the same press conference, PITC Pharma President Jose M. Capistrano said PITC supported the thrust of DOH to improve the cure of cancer patients by bringing down the prices of medicines, “so we can increase the life expectancy of cancer patients”.
However, despite assurance of much affordable medicine, Philippine Cancer Society executive director, Dr. Rachael Rosario said some cancer patients still failed to go through the entire process and length of treatment.
“We come in to extend how we can help the cancer patient not much on how much we can help,” she said explaining that PCSI encourages cancer patients to go through the process as well as educate them on the need to do such.
In the same press conference, DOH assistant secretary Romulo Busuego, DRH chief of hospital said the DRH is the first in the Visayas and in Mindanao government hospitals given the authority to implement the BCMAP and to run the Patients Navigation Program to manage breast cancer treatment.
“This can be given free,” Dr. Busuego said of breast cancer treatment through the BCMAP. “We have to give them the dignity of lives,” he said of breast cancer patients.
The Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (PSMO) reported in 2012 that the Philippines had the highest incidence of breast cancer in Asia with an estimated three out of 100 Filipino women contracting such disease before reaching the age of 75.
In 2012, PSMO president Felycette Gay Lapus said that the Philippines also had registered the lowest survival rate of breast cancer patients among 15 countries in Asia. (PIA 11/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)
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