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Part I of “Cancer/Medical Moonshot-Philippines” Series
There is consensus among avid followers of this column, especially in the series on cancer and the medical moonshot, on finding an ideal country. A nation that can serve to demonstrate the best, simple, and doable ways to win the global war on cancer.
The United States of America seems to have a federal leadership that is bent on using dwindling government resources to wage “forever military wars”. It lacks vigor and vision, while refusing to allocate human and financial resources to lead the world in waging war against cancer and other deadly diseases. And helping poor communities in rural areas achieve socioeconomic empowerment while the fight for universal healthcare is underway.
This column respectfully suggests that the Philippines become the pilot country to test state-of-the-art approaches — from early detection to immediate medical intervention — in waging war against major diseases. Yes, starting with cancer. Why?
The Philippines is a former U.S. colony where the first American overseas medical center was built in the early 1900s. It also established the first state educational institution, the University of the Philippines, which established colleges of medicine, nursing, and other medical sciences. The U.S. then created a successful public educational system. It ended the Filipino-American War by winning the hearts and minds of the Filipino people. Then it began sending bright high school graduates to complete their college education and even earn master’s and doctoral degrees at U.S. universities.
And Filipinos paid back their debt of gratitude to the American people. Starting in the mid-1960s, when the U.S. needed medical workers, parochial-school teachers, clergy members, seamen, naval cadets, computer experts, and other skilled workers, as well as other needed personnel. Filipinos filled the manpower shortages. To date, there are more than 600,000 American nurses of Filipino descent, 22,000 Filipino-American physicians, and millions more of Filipino professionals, many of whom are board-certified and now U.S. citizens.
“The Philippine medical landscape on cancer is shifting from a “death sentence” to a manageable chronic disease, as experienced also in developed countries. Early detection and innovation, if not medical intervention, are needed.”
All of said professionals are in addition to Filipino farmers, who were recruited by Hawaiian farms starting in 1906 and eventually worked, too, in California and other states. Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers were also trained and deployed with the U.S. military in World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and other military conflicts.
There are now more than five million American citizens of Filipino descent who earn collectively more than US$92 billion every year. It will only take proper motivation and support, plus investments by the U.S. and other foreign governments that want to help the war on cancer and other diseases. Yes, restart it in the Philippines as the pilot country.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the Philippines, with more than 153,751 new cases and 92,000 deaths, as reported in 2020. The Philippine medical landscape on cancer is shifting from a “death sentence” to a manageable chronic disease, as experienced also in developed countries. Early detection and innovation, if not medical intervention, are needed. But presently significant barriers exist — both as to accessibility to healthcare, principally for lack of funds, and non-affordability on the part of a super majority of cancer patients.
However, self-rated poverty surveys often indicate higher figures than official data in all these cited statistics. Inquisitive readers may just Google for the “Status of Cancer Detection and Cure in the Philippines”. This column has compiled data on Philippine provinces, including the poorest and those most affected by cancer. The statistics and other pertinent facts are posted in the “DrRizal/HMO, Knightingale, and HNU Proposals” Facebook Group at this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/216368558400241
By next Sunday, we will discuss how North Carolina can play a substantial role in launching a major offensive in the global war on cancer, beginning in the Far East, with the Philippines as the primary country on the Eastern Front. After all, this column has discussed, in 24 articles (and counting), the potential of Duke University Cancer Institute, other university hospitals, and even the medical support group of the Mother Teresa Catholic Church in Cary, NC. They have made inroads in helping cancer patients survive and thrive. Of course, North Carolina is one of the few states that really help marginalized families that have scions fighting in the war against cancer.
