Cancer treatments have advanced significantly in recent years, making the disease more treatable and preventable. However, the accessibility of these treatments remains a problem for indigent cancer patients in the Philippines. While various types of treatments for breast cancer have been introduced and made accessible to patients in the country, access to innovative cancer treatments remains limited. Currently, the process for the inclusion of new medicines in the Philippine National Drug Formulary (PNDF) requires approval from the Health Technology Assessment Council and may take one to three years. Without inclusion in the PNDF, indigent patients cannot access these innovative treatments through the government’s cancer control program.
According to a study published in 2018 in Acta Medica Philippina, 40.6% of cancer patients’ families in the Philippines experienced financial toxicity due to the high cost of medical care, with the mean combined out-of-pocket expenses at 3 and 12 months after diagnosis amounting to PHP 181,789.00. The cost of cancer treatment in the Philippines ranges from PHP 120,000 to over PHP 1 million, with chemotherapy costs starting at PHP 20,000 and going up to over PHP 120,000.
The Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (PSMD) has called on the government to prioritize and fast-track the inclusion of new cancer drugs in the PNDF. Indigent patients enrolled in the government’s cancer control program would gain easy access to available innovative medicines if these drugs were added to the formulary. Statistics reveal that at least 7 in 10 cancer patients in the country “drop out of treatment regimen” due to lack of funds.
Dr. Jorge Ignacio, oncologist and chair of the UP-PGH Cancer Institute, estimates that at least 40,000 cancer patients in the UP-PGH are poor and rely on chemotherapy because it is affordable. Indigent patients would not be able to avail themselves of new cancer medicines that are more expensive. Additionally, recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that neoplasm, an abnormal mass of tissue that can either be benign or malignant, is the third leading cause of death in the country. From January to November 2022, the country recorded a total of 5,7354 deaths due to neoplasm.
To tackle the roadblocks to cancer treatment in the Philippines, members of the PSMD and government officials must work together to ensure that innovative cancer treatments are made accessible to indigent patients. Prioritizing the inclusion of new cancer drugs in the PNDF will be a crucial step towards this goal as it will allow indigent patients to gain easy access to available innovative medicines. Reducing the financial burden of cancer treatments through government-assisted programs and establishing more cancer centers throughout the Philippines will also help ensure that cancer patients receive timely treatment regardless of their financial capacity. With this, the government can give hope to cancer patients and bring the country closer to defeating cancer.