We recently mounted our second MB Sustainability Focus Session; and this one was entitled Envisioning the Future of Healthcare. In an earlier iteration, the title included “… Healthcare, Access to Medicine, and Nutrition;” as we wanted to call attention to all the three topics. But we realized it was more than a mouthful to go with, and opted to simplify. But if simplification was essential in titling rights, that would be as far as it went; as we had brought in speakers and resource persons who would provide a comprehensive “snapshot” of our current healthcare situation, where we would like to go, and what steps are needed to make that journey - and they included speakers on pharmaceutical distribution, and on nutrition.

Our academic institution partner was the University of Santo Tomas, and this is the second time we’ve partnered with the university. Our sincere thanks to UST Secretary-General Rev. Fr. Louie Colonel, and to Office of Public Affairs Director Michaella Lagniton and her staff. They have been godsend, making our partnership with the University such a breeze and welcome experience. The faculty members who joined the panel discussions as reactors, and to go deeper with the resource speakers, get our salute. And to the students of the Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, Nutrition, and Tourism, who attended the morning and afternoon sessions, I fully appreciate how engaged you were, and how the questions asked brought out the best from our speakers.

Originally, Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa was slated to deliver the keynote address of the focus session. A conflict in schedule arose, but Sec. Herbosa was kind enough to send a taped message, and we had DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo offering a speech on vocation to the healthcare industry, and how important it was for the students to be certain of this commitment, given the current challenges facing the industry.

Juana Manahan-Yupangco gave an illuminating talk on nutrition to open the afternoon session. As Mesa ni Misis founder, and with a Masters degree in Global Food Security and Nutrition from the University of Edinburgh, one of her strong advocacies is for locally sourced fruits and vegetables to be better integrated in our eating habits, and regular dietary plans. She champions the local farmers, and has collaborated with LGU’s to formulate better weekly food guides for their constituents.

Our participating sponsors get a raucous shout-out; as without their support and enthusiasm, we would not have gotten this focus session off the ground. Dr. Jose Sollano of AC Health - Healthway Cancer Care Hospital, Blesilda Espin from Watsons, Kurleigh Gacutan of Maxicare, Carole Kaye Malenab of TGP - Robinsons Retail’s Drugstore Segment, UST Hospital Chief Dietitian Dr. Maureen Sarmago, and Dr. Stuart Bennett of The Medical City - they all gave inspiring talks and engaged with the audience during the lively panel discussions (Dr. Bennett had to send a video of his talk).

To our hosts Jackie Go and Aziza Mondoñedo, to Jordan and Irish, to Leslie and Jaime, and the MBrand team and the event production team - you all know how valuable your contributions were in making the day such a success. While we never tire of tweaking and improving the product, I can say that this last focus session was one for the books in terms of near-seamless integration and coordination. Congratulations to us all!

And now on with the work of amplifying the day on our social media assets. Beyond the live audience, we know how important it is to maximize the traction of the content generated from the Session, and making more and more people aware of the important issues raised and discussed, in the course of the day.

During my opening remarks I reiterated the observation that while Universal Healthcare was passed into law here in the Philippines in 2019; the sad fact is that it’s a law that’s practically ‘toothless’. The average Thai citizen spends nine percent out of pocket on medical expenses in a given year; while in 2023, the average Filipino still had to spend 44.4 percent out of pocket. I’ll acknowledge that Thailand adopted Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in 2002, but it now includes preventive, curative and palliative treatments.

These traces back to what ASec. Albert Domingo was talking about to the gathered students that morning. We are on the cusp of a healthcare revolution, and some of the ‘players’ who will lead this ‘revolution’ were on the stage - private companies who have made healthcare their mission. They are partnering with the Department of Health to fast-track this movement to effective universal healthcare. Now the question arises as to who will be the frontliners, who will be staffing these companies, in the near future? And for those who captured the essence of what ASec. Domingo was referring to, the gauntlet was thrown for those in the UST hall to rise to, and accept, that challenge.