Stakeholders on Thursday, May 16, launched the first Philippine Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit, themed "One Community Against HPV" (human papillomavirus).

Held at the Novotel Manila in Quezon City, the initiative provided a platform for healthcare experts, advocacy groups, policymakers, and private sectors to accelerate progress toward a cervical cancer-free future for millions of Filipino women.

Cervical cancer cases in Asia Pacific may rise by 19% in 2030

Highlighting the significance of this public health threat in the Philippines, the incidence of cervical cancer is projected to soar by 19 percent between 2020 and 2030 in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region alone.

The event, spearheaded by MSD in the Philippines, underscored the urgent need for strategic and concrete interventions in the country to address this rapidly growing health burden.

"The summit aims to drive collaborative efforts in private and public sectors to review and expand cervical cancer prevention and control programs that can save not only thousands of lives but also millions of pesos in healthcare costs," it said.

12 women in the Philippines lose their lives daily to the disease

In the Philippines, 12 Filipino women on average die due to cervical cancer each day, according to a study in 2022.

This makes cervical cancer the second most frequent cancer among women aged 15 to 44 and puts almost 40 million Filipino women at risk of developing this disease.

In 2020, the government allotted a P46.63 billion budget for cancer treatment, yet Filipino households dealing with cancer still pay 15 to 41 percent of out-of-pocket medical costs despite subsidies