Stronger healthcare financing, better procurement and reliable supply chains will be central to PHAP’s push to improve access to innovative medicines as the association marks its 80th anniversary.
The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines will bring government, industry, patient organizations and academe together through its Health for Juan and Juana forum to discuss the systems needed to move medical innovation closer to patients.
“Building sustainable access means looking beyond the medicine itself. We also have to strengthen the pathways, financing and systems that allow innovations to reach patients efficiently and consistently,” said PHAP Executive Director Teodoro Padilla.
PHAP committed to working with government to improve hospital services and healthcare financing, particularly through better procurement and supply chain planning.
It also aims to strengthen collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration to facilitate timely access to safe, affordable and quality medicines.
The association identified regulatory efficiency and an environment supportive of health investment as factors that can help innovations move more effectively through the health system.
A forum panel titled “Enabling Access, Resilience, and Investment” will bring together representatives from Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc., the Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Competition Commission, PHAP, Cancer Coalition and Asian Institute of Management.
Panelists will include Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc. President and CEO Maria Blanca Kim Lokin, DTI Undersecretary Mary Jean Pacheco, Philippine Competition Commission Chair Michael Aguinaldo, PHAP Trustee Lotis Ramin, Cancer Coalition Vice President Carmen Auste and Prof. Rebecca Ricalde.
PHAP is also supporting the expansion of the PhilHealth GAMOT Program, a more responsive Philippine National Drug Formulary and broader PhilHealth benefits.
The association represents the research-based pharmaceutical sector in the Philippines. Its Health for Juan and Juana forum was first convened in 2016 to support dialogue on health reforms and access to life-saving medicines.
BNN Integrated News
