Summit tackles lung health

The Manila Times

Summit tackles lung health  Doctors and patients gather at a summit on lung health in Mandaluyong on Jan. 15, 2025 Dr. Cyril Tolosa, AstraZeneca medical director, underscored the importance of partnership between pharmaceutical companies, medical societies, patient organizations and the government in promoting lung health. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and lung cancer remain one of the leading causes of death among Filipinos,  Dr. Josefina Isidro-Lapena, president, PH Academy of Family Physicians, and Engr. Emer Rojas of Lung Alliance of the Philippines urged Filipinos to be considerate of their lung health by taking care of what they eat and the environment they are in.   VIDEO BY RED MENDOZA  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe   Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net     Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook   Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram   Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter   DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion     Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify   Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts   Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic   Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #themanilatimes #tmtnews  #philippines #health

Transcript

00:00We know nga na mataas ang prevalence ng asthma, mataas ang prevalence ng COPD, mataas ang prevalence ng lung cancer.

00:07So, how important ang patisama-sama between the government, the private sector, and the organizations, the doctors' organizations in promoting lung cancer to more Filipinos?

00:19Yes. So, definitely it is a multidisciplinary approach.

00:24It does not take one entity to promote and push and improve lung health.

00:30It takes an army, and that army includes the private and the public sector.

00:35So, of course, in the private sector, we as an industry, the pharma industry, we bring in the innovation, the new medicines, the new treatment to help patients improve with those specific diseases.

00:48But, of course, it also takes the healthcare professionals to diagnose, to screen, and to treat these patients.

00:55It also takes the voice of the patients to represent the ones who really would benefit from the treatment.

01:03And at the end of the day, it's not just the private sector but the government because the government's resources is much broader and bigger versus the private sector, and their scope is really national in scale.

01:17So, putting all these things together, our hope is to really, again, improve outcomes for overall lung health in the country.

01:27How can we reinforce lung health among the public? Because not everyone is very knowledgeable about lung health.

01:36I mean, don't they forget that they have issues with their lungs?

01:44Well, like what I said a while ago, it's not just knowledge, it's behavior change.

01:50And behavior is very difficult to address because it has a lot of factors that go into it.

01:57So, people who are going to work in motivating people to change behavior requires a lot of skills.

02:05And so, we need the help of everyone.

02:07But even if you change the behavior, if the setting doesn't change, it can cause frustration.

02:17That's why it has to be collaborative work.

02:19It has to be the work of the government also responding to what the patients are in need of, what the doctors are asking for.

02:29And a summit is like a mini-collaborative work.

02:35So, we just need to get our act together.

02:39Advice to the lungs, or maybe to remind the lungs.

02:42Because many times we remind them to take care of our lungs.

02:47But of course, it's always a broken record.

02:51We always say, take care of your lungs, take care of this, take care of that.

02:56Maybe just advice to the Filipinos on how to better take care of their lungs.

03:04If I were to give advice, it's not good to be too generic.

03:08It should be direct.

03:10What is the message that we want to convey to the Filipinos?

03:14That cigarettes are bad.

03:17Even if it has a license, it's really bad.

03:19It damages the lungs, the lungs.

03:24The product of research should be direct.

03:27If what we do damages our environment, it's not good.

03:35The information that should be out there should not be generic.

03:41It should be specific.

03:43I'm not in favor of vaping.

03:46Although, of course, the industries are saying it's a substitute for smoking.

04:00It is still smoking.

04:02Some researchers are already showing that.

04:05But there are interests that need to be fought.

04:10And these are the things that we need to address.

04:13So, Filipinos, we need to be united.

04:17Maybe it will remind us of our experiences.

04:22Because you are a living survivor of lung disease.

04:27Maybe it will be a note, a story.

04:31Maybe a short story or advice to our fellow Filipinos on how to take care of their lungs.

04:38First of all, we need to know what's bad and what's good for our body.

04:44Our primary concern should be health.

04:48It's very rare that we neglect this because of our lifestyle.

04:53Like smoking, drinking.

04:56And now, even eating oily, salty, and sweet foods.

05:05This is our lifestyle that we need to change.

05:10We should be aware of what we are doing to our body.

05:14Because what we are injecting into our body will be the result.

05:20Even if it's too much, it's not allowed.

05:23We did not say totally to stop eating those things.

05:29But even if it's too much, it's not allowed.

05:35We need to know what's bad and what's good for our body.

05:39Maybe it will remind us of our experiences.

Category

Transcript

Recommended