The Quezon City (QC) government and the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday kicked off the PuroKalusugan Caravan in observance of Philippine Heart Month and National Cancer Awareness Month this February.
Free health and medical services were offered at the Barangay Loyola Heights Covered Court to promote cardiovascular health, cancer prevention, and overall well-being through accessible health services.
Speaking on behalf of Mayor Joy Belmonte, QC’s Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Medical Coordinator Jean Pauline Tee highlighted the city’s commitment to disease prevention by crafting local ordinances to protect its residents and actively promoting accessible tests for early cancer detection.
In her speech, Tee highlighted the city’s calorie labeling ordinance to help prevent NCDs like hypertension, diabetes, and cancer, which is the first in Southeast Asia.
“Sa pamamagitan ng ordinansang ito, inaatasan po ang lahat ng mga restaurants at food businesses na maglagay ng calorie labels sa kanilang menu at menu boards upang mabigyan ang publiko ng tamang impormasyon ukol sa nutrisyon na ating kinakain (Through this ordinance, all restaurants and food businesses are required to put calorie labels on their menu and menu boards to provide the public with correct information about the nutrition we eat),” Tee said.
She added that the ordinance aims to empower the public to make healthier food choices, ultimately preventing obesity and other related health issues.
DOH Assistant Secretary Farwa Hombre, meanwhile, noted that heart disease and cancer remain the top causes of death in the country.
She cited recent data showing that ischemic heart disease and cancer are the top contributors to mortality, significantly affecting individuals and their families.
Lester Tan, regional director of DOH’s Metro Manila Center for Health Development (MMCHD), revealed that hypertension and diabetes, two of the most prevalent and leading causes of death among Filipinos, are on the rise.
“Nito pong nakaraang taon, 2024, halos 260,000 kaso na po ng hypertension at 48,000 kaso ng diabetes po ang naitala. Dito po sa Metro Manila, sakit sa puso pa rin po ang isa sa pinakapangunahing sanhi ng kamatayan (This past year, 2024, almost 260,000 cases of hypertension and 48,000 cases of diabetes were recorded. In Metro Manila, heart disease is still one of the main causes of death),” he said.
“Bukod dito, lumalala ang kaso ng cancer. So sa mga kababaihan po, cervical cancer po ang pangatlong pinaka karaniwang sakt na cancer, at 8,000 mahigt po ang naitatala bawat taon (Moreover, the case of cancer is getting worse. So among women, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer, and more than 8,000 are recorded every year),” Tan added.
The caravan offers free health risk assessments, including blood pressure (BP) monitoring, body mass index (BMI) calculation, fasting blood sugar (FBS) testing, cholesterol screening, and personalized health assessments with healthcare professionals.
In addition, attendees were given free access to specialized cancer screenings. (PNA)
