Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
The scourge of cancer runs deep — it can shatter family ties, derail a promising career, and obliterate the dreams of individuals who now find themselves immersed in the relentless struggle for recovery. There’s always the feeling of an impending doom that cancer brings and this is something that even advanced science continues to grapple with.
Irrespective of the variant of cancer, the afflicted individual needs all kinds of support — physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and especially, financial. No matter the course of treatment prescribed by doctors, the financial toll can be overwhelming, forcing the sick to exhaust their life savings just to procure life-saving medicines.
Hearing the pleas of cancer patients nationwide, the government is sending a strong response. In a statement, the government is allotting a substantial fund in the proposed 2024 national budget to aid cancer patients. This financial commitment is proof of the government extending its helping hand not merely to offer well wishes or empathy.
“The prevention, treatment, and control of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, is one of the key priorities of President Marcos, as evidenced by the allocation of ₱2 billion in the proposed 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP),” said Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman.
Pangandaman stated that “18,695 cancer patients will benefit from ₱1.024 billion in funds under the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, which will cover the procurement of 61 different cancer commodities.”
In addition to the cancer control program, ₱1 billion will be appropriated to the Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) to subsidize the continuous medical aid for 6,666 cancer patients registered across 31 cancer access sites nationwide.
The CAF will “partially finance outpatient and inpatient cancer control services. This includes, but is not limited to, therapeutic procedures and other cancer medicines needed for the treatment and management of cancer and its care-related components.” It is a big help as it aims to bridge the financial gap in cancer diagnostics and laboratories, which PhilHealth does not cover.
“When I see these (cancer) patients, especially the kids… I can’t help but cry. But I know in my heart that I need to be strong. And I remain strong in finding better ways to give them all the help and support they need,” the budget secretary said.
This is not the first instance where Pangandaman has directed attention to this critical issue. Earlier in the year, during the 4th Philippine National Cancer Summit, she noted that for many years, cancer has been one of the leading causes of death in the country.
“As you may know, many Filipino families, even those in the upper income brackets, are vulnerable to catastrophic health spending due to high treatment costs and limited coverage of cancer care under public programs. Based on 2019 estimates, around 60 percent of the total public cancer expenditures come from out-of-pocket payments and private insurance,” she said. “As such, we should discuss public oncology financing through the advancement of the implementation of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act or NICCA with sustainability in mind. Through this, we can provide our fellow Filipinos quality and affordable cancer-related healthcare that would last for many generations.”
Considering this valuable — and timely — assistance to thousands of cancer patients, the government proves that it is one with the Filipino people in their darkest of times. Through this financial provision, which encompasses treatment and rehabilitation, may each afflicted patient feel the compassionate hand guiding them on their journey to recovery.
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
