Sweden and the Philippines entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate cancer control effort, with Bataan as the pilot province.

The partnership was formalized through a letter of intent signed on Friday by Bataan Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III and representatives from the Bataan General Hospital, Business Sweden–The Swedish Trade & Invest Council, Cancer Coalition Philippines, AstraZeneca, Elekta, and Ericsson.

The Swedish Embassy in Manila said the partnership will follow the “quadruple-helix model,” fostering collaboration among government, academia, industry and civil society in both countries.

“Under Sweden’s strategy for trade, investment and global competitiveness and its new and long-term promotion initiative in Asia, Sweden is strengthening its engagement in the Philippines with a capacity-building agenda across several industries,” visiting State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden, Håkan Jevrell, said.

In a separate interview, Business Sweden Health Care Lead for Southeast Asia Lina Balsyte said Sweden’s support could come in the form of grant or soft loans “depending on the needs that will be prioritized by the Bataan province.”

This would focus on the “full continuum of cancer care” from cancer awareness, prevention, early detection, and facilitating access to treatment, including more “innovative treatments,” Balsyte said.

“We are discussing more concrete initiatives that are to be confirmed yet but (there will be) capacity building and upskilling and training, which means we will be creating partnerships between the hospitals in Bataan and the Swedish hospitals,” she said.

“Our key ambition is really to support the government in Bataan transform cancer care, to have it as ideally a benchmark for nationwide adoption, so that we could copy paste whatever we do in Bataan and apply it to the different provinces,” she added.

Sweden leads the global cancer control effort with advanced care that is focused on early detection and prevention, supported by national screening programs and strong public health policies.

Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center chief Dr. Glory Baltazar sees hundreds of cancer patients benefiting once the first project under the partnership is rolled out.

“We aim to initiate this partnership by establishing a comprehensive and a robust Cancer Registry,” she said.

“We also look forward to collaborating with cancer specialists from Sweden, renowned for their expertise in cancer care and their ability to provide the highest quality of life for cancer patients,” she added.

Lowest regionally in screening

According to the Cancer Coalition Philippines (CCPh), cancer is the second leading cause of death in the country, yet the screening rates are among the lowest regionally and most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage.

CCPh vice president Carmen Auste said key challenges include myths and misconceptions about cancer, low awareness of value of early detection, limited access to diagnostic and treatment facilities, high out-of-pocket expenses, and delays throughout the patient journey.

“This collaboration with Sweden is a breakthrough moment. Sweden, as a global leader in cancer management, brings with it high level of experiences and expertise, and we eagerly anticipate the launch of the first joint initiative,” she said.

The Embassy said the overarching ambition of this partnership is to facilitate multiple partnerships and exchanges among Swedish, international and Filipino stakeholders.

In the coming months, the involved partners will meet and identify what initiatives or projects they would prioritize.

Also witnessing the signing was Department of Health Cancer Control and Mental Health Divisions head Dr. Jan Aura Llevado. (PNA)