President Marcos has witnessed the signing of an agreement to build the Philippines' first cancer hospital between Filipino and American firms.
“The initiative is a vital stride in the fight against cancer, and it reflects the Philippines’ growing potential as a leading healthcare destination in Asia,” Marcos said during the signing of the agreement.
The deal was signed by AC Health and American company Varian Medical Systems on Thursday, Nov. 16 (Manila time), on the sidelines of the President's participation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco, California.
According to Marcos, both parties will share their expertise in establishing and running the Philippines’ first dedicated specialty oncology hospital to ensure an efficient way of delivering services to patients and making cancer care more accessible to Filipinos.
Through the partnership, AC Health will establish the Healthway Cancer Care Hospital in the Philippines, which will serve as a network of oncology clinics throughout Metro Manila aimed at providing cancer patients access to comprehensive cancer care utilizing Varian’s state-of-the-art and multi-modalitycancer care technologies.
Among the signatories include Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala of the Ayala Corp., AC Health CEO and President Paolo Borromeo, Varian Philippines President and Managing Director Heinz-Michael Horst Schmermer, and Varian’s Advanced Oncology Solutions Vice President Chuck Lindley.
Cancer is the third leading cause of death in the Philippines, with about 141,021 new cancer cases and 86,337 cancer deaths every year.
To boost cancer control efforts and reduce the burden of the disease, the Philippines enacted Republic Act No. 11215 or the National Integrated Cancer Control Act in February 2019.
As of November 2023, the Department of Health (DOH) is set to establish 16 Cancer Care Specialty Centers nationwide.