The Philippines needs to improve its health outcomes for non-communicable diseases as it pushes forward in building a healthy nation.
This was how Dr. Rosalie Paje, Division Chief of the Lifestyle-Related Diseases Division of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau (LRDD-DPCB) of the Department of Health (DOH) described the purpose and vision of the Healthy Diet Coalition during its first partners meeting held last Friday, October 25, at The Bayleaf Intramuros in Manila.
For Paje, the Healthy Diet Coalition is more than just a “hand-holding initiative but a genuine call” to action to address these increasingly alarming health concerns.
The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 41 million people die each year because of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and its risk factors worldwide. This accounts to 71 percent of all deaths globally. In the Philippines, coronary heart disease (CHD), a kind of NCD, was the leading cause of death in 2011-2013 and 2016, resulting in 170,000 lives lost or 68 percent of all Filipino deaths.
In a major study conducted by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA, an unhealthy diet has been found to be responsible for one in every five deaths each year, or 11 million deaths worldwide.
By unhealthy, it means a diet that consists of energy-dense, nutrient-poor processed foods that are high in salt, trans fat, saturated fat, and sugar, while low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
In response, the Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines, and civil society organizations, ImagineLaw, a public interest law organization, and Mandatum Novum, a media organization, with support from the Resolve To Save Lives (RTSL) Initiative, formed the first multisectoral coalition for healthy diet promotion to reinforce the country’s commitment to reduce premature deaths due to NCDs.
Representatives from the Office of Congresswoman Helen Tan, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), National Nutrition Council (NNC), other national government agencies, civil society organizations, academe and media organizations then held their first partners meeting.
During this partners meeting, the group signed a Declaration of Commitment to promote a healthy diet for the prevention and control of NCDs by enacting, enforcing and advocating for strong policies to regulate trans-fatty acids (TFA), reduce salt consumption, and limit consumption of sugar and saturated fat, and increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Congresswoman Helen Tan, chairperson of the Committee on Health, principal author and champion of the Universal Health Care Law, has committed to support legislation on industrially-produced trans fat. “It is the Congresswoman’s aspiration to create a healthy environment for Filipinos with healthy living conditions and away from risks that could affect their health, which is a dream that we hope to realize in the years to come,” Tan’s representative, Ishia Xequiel Oroga said.
The DOH, with WHO and ImagineLaw, recently held a consultative meeting with key government agencies and stakeholders on the national policy for the promotion of healthy diet last October 23, and is working to set the policy direction on the regulation of TFA and reduction of salt consumption by the end of 2019.
The Healthy Diet Coalition, composed of the DOH and its attached agencies, legislators, and civil society organizations, will hold a trans fat symposium and writeshop on November 19 to 21, 2019 to develop a draft bill regulating TFA with the offices of the Senate and House Committee Chairpersons on Health.