HEALTH-CARE service multinational Zuellig Pharma has thrown its support behind the government by committing to provide quality and affordable health-care access for all Filipinos.
The company is among the members of the business community here and abroad that have expressed their willingness to explore public-private partnerships (PPP) with the new administration during the high-level business dialogue with President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. as part of his first engagement with an international body and working visit to the United States.
In this meeting that was organized by the US-ASEAN Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce in New York, the participants talked about how inclusion, sustainability and health care can result in a vibrant economy and resilient society in line with the priorities of the chief executive.
“President Marcos Jr.’s eight-point socio-economic agenda in the near and medium term stresses the importance of tackling health as a pre-requisite to a robust economy and an inclusive and resilient society,” Zuellig Pharma Philippines Market Managing Director Jannette Jakosalem said at the roundtable discussion on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
With this in mind, the top executive reiterated their commitment to strengthen government and stakeholder engagement in the country, forging dynamic partnerships, and further contributing to nation-building.
“Zuellig Pharma is all for this and has made available the right digital solutions, tools, and systems to support both the private and public sector in championing this cause,” she noted.
PPP on immunization, healthcare for all
THE Philippines continues to face the ensuing global health crisis. To date, Covid-19 has reportedly infected at least 3,908,295 Filipinos in the past couple of years, while claiming 62,342 lives.
Though still confronted by this pandemic, the country is also dealing with other illnesses, adding to the challenges of the national healthcare system at present.
For influenza and pneumonia, this island nation has the sixth highest death rate globally. In fact, the latter was the seventh cause of mortality last year, with at least 32,000 deaths identified.
As of August 2022, dengue cases in the entire archipelago have increased by 105 percent than a year ago. The common flu affects the livelihood and productivity of millions of Filipinos, contributing to an average of seven days downtime to a typical work force.
Gender-wise, cervical cancer is the second killer of women in the Philippines. Most of the country’s adult population are chronically infected with the Hepatitis B virus at an alarming 7.3 million cases. What’s more, the country is ranked No. 6 among the nations with the highest number of rabies cases around the world.
Jakosalem pointed out that the government and the private sector need to work hand-in-hand to stop these life-threatening diseases from affecting millions of Filipinos everyday through massive innoculation.
“Energy source challenges and supply chain disruptions necessitate innovative and sustainable ways to deliver health care, and this is where Zuellig Pharma can help,” she said.
“Amid a backdrop of rising costs of energy sources globally, our proposal is to help design a robust partnership program on immunization to ensure sustainable supply chain structures and processes which enable greater cost effectiveness to drive logistical efficiencies,” she added.
As a responsible corporate citizen, the firm endeavors to address the health menaces that are plaguing the Filipino people nowadays and strives to aid them from the barangay level, per Zuellig Pharma Government Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Head Chito Maniago.
“We believe in empowering Pinoys with quality and affordable health care, and we look forward to continue to collaborate with the government especially the Department of Health to achieve this,” he stressed.
The company recently upgraded the eZHealth digital app, which caters to the teleconsult, vaccination, diagnostics, and other health needs of at least 3 million Filipinos.