The National Integrated Cancer Control Act
Rodrigo Duterte, the President of the Philippines, signed the National Integrated Act which is an act that specifically aims to lower the cases of cancer in the Philippines by increasing the rate of people considered as cancer survivor and detecting cancer signs earlier in order to prevent it from spreading. This can be done by implementing programs related to surviving cancer.
This program targets all types of cancer such as breast cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer. Colon cancer belongs to the top 3 deadliest disease in the world. This cancer is the main target of the program. Moreover, because of this, medical practitioners are into colonoscopy practice in New Jersey. Due to rising cases of colon cancer, colonoscopy business is also getting bigger.
The Republic Act 11215 created the National Integrated Cancer Control Program which specifically should serve any type of program related to cancer. According to one of the senators, cancer is the third leading causes of death and fourth in child mortality. According to the National Statistics, the estimate number of people who are dying everyday because of cancer is 8 deaths per day among children and 10-11 deaths among adult cancer in the Philippines. Basically there are a total of 110,000 new cancer cases and 60,000 cancer death each year. RA 11215 wishes to to decrease these numbers.
Other purpose of RA 11215 are the following:
- Decrease the mortality rate in both adult and children
- Decrease cancer impact
- Detect signs of cancer earlier for easier treatment and higher chance of surviving
- Aims to prevents metastasis and even secondary cancer among survivors and people who have been living with cancer for long period of time
- Support the recovery of cancer survivors
One of the major factors why many diagnosed cancer patients are not surviving is because of the high cost of treatment. The law seeks to provide more affordable and accessible cancer treatment and at the same time lessen the pain patients are feeling while undergoing cancer treatment.
“The awareness campaign must increase cancer literacy and understanding of risk factors associated with cancer, dispel myths and misconceptions about cancer, and reduce the anxiety, fear, distress, and uncertainty related to cancer,” the law reads.
