Revised policy on philippine cancer prevention and control

Objectives

The policy establishes a national framework for cancer prevention and control in the Philippines, aiming to reduce cancer mortality and avoidable incidence, improve survival and quality of life, and lessen cancer’s impact on patients and families through equitable, sustainable, whole-person care across the continuum.[1][2]It provides a roadmap for the Philippine Cancer Prevention and Control Program, covering prevention, health promotion, screening and early detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation or recovery, survivorship, palliative care, and hospice or end-of-life care.[1][2]

• Operationalise the National Cancer Registry and System and strengthen cancer surveillance, health information, research, and knowledge management.[1][3][4]
• Reduce cancer incidence associated with avoidable risk factors through promotion, communication, prevention policies, and workplace cancer-prevention measures.[1][3][4]
• Improve early diagnosis, prompt treatment, survival, and quality of life through accessible cancer services at every level of care.[1]
• Expand treatment coverage, including access where necessary to innovative medicines and psychosocial support, while improving financial protection from cancer-related costs.[1][5]
• Strengthen cancer-management facilities, establish standards and accreditation for cancer institutes and centres, and develop service packages and benefit arrangements for screening, diagnosis, and treatment.[5][2][4]
• Develop, update, and compile clinical protocols, standards, and guidelines for prioritised cancers, including childhood cancer, hospitals, community-based facilities, and cancer patient navigation.[1][5][6][2]
• Build workforce capability through cancer education, training, professional development, and support for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary care.[2][3]
• Promote stakeholder engagement and research across clinical, epidemiological, public-health, and knowledge-management fields.[2][3]

Implementation

Implementation uses a decentralised national-to-local governance model led by the National Cancer Control Committee, supported by Regional Cancer Control Committees and Provincial Cancer Control Committees, to coordinate policy, standards, services, technical assistance, and delivery across national, regional, provincial, and local levels.[6][2][3]Care is intended to be patient-centred, family-oriented, and delivered by multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teams across prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, palliative care, and hospice support.[1][5][2]

• Coordinate national implementation through the National Cancer Control Committee, including representatives from the Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Food and Drug Administration, cancer and patient organisations, specialist institutions, hospitals, and health services.[2]
• Oversee regional implementation through Regional Cancer Control Committees and implement regional policies and standards locally through Provincial Cancer Control Committees, with participation from Department of Health regional offices, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation regional offices, regional development bodies, governors’ offices, provincial health offices, and local health officers.[6][2][3]
• Assign the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau overall direction, coordination, oversight, standards development, and cancer service-package responsibilities.[3][4]
• Mobilise other Department of Health units for communication, facility development and regulation, human resources, local health-system implementation, medicines, logistics, information technology, epidemiology, surveillance, and international cooperation.[3][4]
• Support local government units through regional technical assistance, referral-system development, local committees, and cancer services delivered through selected facilities.[2][4]
• Engage Department of Health hospitals, private and public providers, health-product providers, professional societies, civil-society organisations, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, research partners, patients, and patient groups in implementation.[5][4]
• Collaborate with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on benefit packages for cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, while the National Cancer Control Committee provides technical and financial support across prevention, early detection, treatment, palliative care, and hospice care.[2][4]
• Coordinate research through the Philippine Council on Health Research and Development and involve the Department of Labor and Employment Bureau of Working Conditions and Civil Service Commission in workplace cancer-prevention policies.[4]
• Develop performance and outcome indicators and monitoring tools with the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau; begin monitoring and evaluation three years after the policy takes effect and continue annually.[4][7]
• Maintain the hospital-based National Cancer Registry through the Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service, while the Epidemiology Bureau leads national cancer surveillance, data management and dissemination, and support for population-based cancer registration.[4]
• Fund implementation through Department of Health allocations at all levels of care, including regular budgets, special funds such as Sin Tax Revenues, and other funding sources; no total budget or detailed allocations are specified.[4][7]

Monitoring & Evaluation

Cancer-control monitoring combines registry-based information, national surveillance, implementation review and impact evaluation, under national, regional and provincial governance structures.[2]The National Cancer Control Committee coordinates national implementation, while Regional and Provincial Cancer Control Committees oversee delivery and local application of policies and standards.[6][2]

• Operationalise the National Cancer Registry and System as a core cancer-control information mechanism.[1]
• Collect and analyse data from cancer registries and surveillance systems to support monitoring and evaluation of the Philippine Cancer Prevention and Control Program.[2]
• Conduct regular implementation reviews and impact evaluations of the programme.[2]
• Develop key performance and outcome indicators and monitoring tools in coordination with the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau.[4]
• Begin monitoring and evaluation three years after the policy takes effect and continue it annually thereafter.[4][7]
• Maintain the hospital-based National Cancer Registry through the Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service.[4]
• Manage national cancer surveillance, data management and dissemination, and support population-based cancer registration through the Epidemiology Bureau.[4]
• Develop, compile and regularly update guidelines, protocols and standards for prioritised cancers, including childhood cancer, through expert input and national compendia.[5][6][2]

Quantitative indicator definitions, targets, reporting formats and schedules, detailed evaluation methods, and accountability sanctions are not specified in the provided text.[6][2][4]

Costing & Financing

Financing provisions include Department of Health funding for implementation across all levels of care, supplemented by regular budget allocations, special funds such as Sin Tax Revenues, and other unspecified sources.[4][7]The National Cancer Control Committee is also expected to provide technical and financial support for prevention, early detection, treatment, palliative care and hospice care.[2]

• Allocate Department of Health funding for cancer-control implementation at all levels of care.[4][7]
• Use regular budget allocations, special funds including Sin Tax Revenues, and other funding sources for implementation.[4][7]
• Provide technical and financial support through the National Cancer Control Committee for cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, palliative care and hospice care.[2]
• Prioritise financial protection from cancer-related costs and access to care, in response to evidence that more than 75% of new cancer patients in Southeast Asia experienced financial catastrophe within 12 months of diagnosis.[1]

The source cites global cancer-related losses from reduced output and treatment costs of approximately 2 trillion United States dollars in 2014, equivalent to about 1.5% of global gross domestic product.[1]It does not specify a total Philippine programme budget, detailed allocations, unit costs, funding gaps, resource-mobilisation targets, costing methodology, or economic assumptions.[1][2][4][7]