AGHAM Party-List Rep. Angelo B. Palmones commends the Committee on Health of the House of Representatives, chaired by Rep. Alfredo D. Maranon III for its fast action and approval of the bill titled “An Act Institutionalizing the Philippine National Health Research System, Establishing the Philippine National Health Research Fund Providing for its Administration and for Other Purposes”.
Consolidated from the four bills authored by Reps. Juan Edgardo Angara, Joseph Emilio Abaya, Angelo Palmones and Lani Mercado-Revilla, the approved substitute bill aims to improve the health status and quality of life of Filipinos by ensuring that health research is linked to the health system needs and, that investments in health research yield the most benefit.
One of the features of the bill is the creation of the Philippine National Health Research Fund to support knowledge management and knowledge translation into efficient and effective health policies and service delivery.
In the deliberation of the bill, Rep. Palmones said that the medicine needed to combat HIV which comes from coconut is being developed in the country. He added, however, that because of lack of funds there is no consolidated effort to push the endeavor.
Leading government agencies to implement the bill include the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Health (DOH), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), University of the Philippines-National Institute for Health (UP-NIH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), National Nutrition Council (NNC), and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).
Dr. Rosa Gonzales of DOH expressed their support to the bill because this will enable the health department to undertake more innovative research projects and sustain conduct of prevalence and baseline health surveys. For UP-NIH, Dr. Lulu Bravo said that the bill will support health research priorities of the Institute in drug development, community and health social sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology.
On the other, Dr. Jaime Montoya, PCHRD executive director said that the bill will address the support needed by his office in developing new drugs, herbal and traditional medicine technology for the prevention of dengue and other diseases.
“We seek swift passage of the PNHRS bill because it does not only benefit researchers in knowing what health care needs should be addressed, but it also gives a feeling of security to the Filipino public that their health is protected from diseases common in tropical countries,” Palmones added. (AGHAM/Vicky B. Bartilet)
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