Today, December 5, 2019, dozens of leading health organizations representing thousands of doctors, nurses and public health professionals, and hundreds of hospitals across the country, announced commitments on making the fight against hypertension a national priority aimed at accelerating stronger advocacy and activities in addressing hypertension—the biggest cardiovascular risk factor worldwide according to the World Health Organization. The commitments were made as part of the Philippine Society of Hypertension (PSH) Call-to-action (CTA) Forum at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, Metro Manila.
The commitments announced at the Forum themed “Together we will beat hypertension, Together we will save Filipino lives” include efforts by the PSH and its partners in the medical and healthcare industry to project 50-year data of the prevalence rate of hypertension among Filipino adults showing the impact of hypertension in terms of mortality rates, and similarly, showing the rate of prevalence decline if acted upon as early as now.
The one-day forum featured prominent speakers from the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), PSH Officers, and the Philippine Heart Association (PHA).
“Our current initiative is anchored on our basic message that health is a choice and that we need to make our people feel empowered to adopt lifestyle changes—and this is through our sustainable efforts to improve health literacy and communication through various media platforms strengthening our multisectoral action, creating a supportive and enabling environment, and reorienting our health services… as well as building healthy public policies so the implementation of the Philippine Package of Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) interventions which we call PHILPEN for low resource settings such as the Philippines includes assessment, screenings, and management of patients with hypertension and diabetes,” said Dr. Rosalie Patte of the DOH, Forum Keynote Speaker.
The Call-to-Action was endorsed by over 20 medical and non-medical organizations from across the Philippines, including the DOH, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Philhealth, PHA, Philippine College of Occupational Medicine, Abbot Nutritionals, Abbot Laboratories, Philippine College of Physicians, Philippine Medical Association, Philippine Society of Nephrologists, Littman, Getz Pharma, UNILAB, ABS-CBN, and GMA Network.
It outlines 4 priority actions that will significantly protect Filipino lives and improve people’s health in the era of processed/fast food and sedentary lifestyle:
(1) make hypertension a national priority; (2) continue and strengthen awareness activities emphasizing the importance of preventing and treating hypertension; (3) continue and strengthen educational programs to inform health professionals and all stakeholders on preventing and controlling hypertension; and (4) establish PSH-accredited hypertension clinics to ensure standardized, optimum, and complete treatment and follow-up of afflicted individuals.
The PSH Call to Action Forum was attended by the PSH Board of Trustees, PSH chapter representatives and members, as well as government, medical, pharmaceutical, and media partners.
The full Call to Action and a complete list of commitments and signatories of the Call to Action is available at http://www.philippinesocietyofhypertension.org.ph/. Please contact the PSH Secretariat at Tel nos.: +63 (2) 696-2819 +63 917-625-5810 +63 995-526-4214 for more information.
