Representatives of the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) implementing agencies and the Caraga Health Research and Development Consortium (CHRDC) highlighted national and regional achievements in health research during the Talakayang HeaRT Beat press conference last 15 August 2024, at the Almont Inland Resort, Butuan City. The session was held as part of the 17th PNHRS Week Celebration.

Officials from the core PNHRS agencies ─ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Dr. Renato Solidum, Jr., DOST – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) Executive Director Dr. Jaime Montoya, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary for Administrative Service and Finance Management Service Usec. Achilles Gerard Bravo, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Director for Planning, Research, and Knowledge Management Dr. Mary Sylvette Gunigundo, and University of the Philippines – National Institute of Health (UP-NIH) Executive Director Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz; and representatives from the 17th PNHRS host region Caraga, DOH Center for Health Development XIII Regional Director and CHRDC Chairperson Dr. Cesar Cassion, and DOST XIII Regional Director and CHRDC Co-chairperson Engr. Noel Ajoc, attended the session to answer questions from the local media.

The discussion provided information on the health research activities and updates at the national and local levels.

Forwarding wealth creation in research

The DOST carries an intensified campaign for wealth creation in research, reflected across all its initiatives, including health research. The campaign emphasizes the importance of technology transfer and utilization.

“We have funded technology business incubation (TBI) hubs in more than 64 universities all over the Philippines,” said DOST Sec. Solidum. The hubs support the commercialization of Filipino-made innovations. Aside from the TBIs, Solidum also highlighted the DOST’s Startup Grant Program, wherein the DOST provides grants to support research activities of Filipino startups.

In addition to the DOST’s existing technology transfer programs, Sec. Solidum shared that the Department is set to launch the PROPEL Program which will facilitate partnerships between technology generators and investors to prepare innovations for commercialization. These programs intend to bridge the gap between research and commercialization and bring health innovations to Filipinos. 

Launching of health research agendas

DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Montoya reported the completion and the ongoing implementation of the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA) 2023-2028. “Ito po ‘yong pinagbabasihan kung saan po ibubuhos ang financing, ang pondo ng gobyerno para sa mga priority research projects (This is the basis of the allocation of financing, government funding for priority research projects),” Dr. Montoya explained. The NUHRA 2023-2028 was launched during the 16th PNHRS Week Celebration in Tacloban City. Access the document online via bit.ly/NUHRA2023-2028.

Aligned with the NUHRA, the PNHRS launched the Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Health (DRR-CCAH) Research Agenda 2023-2028 and the Philippine Brain Research Agenda 2024-2028 on 15 August 2024. The newly launched research agendas were developed to address specific health issues in the DRR-CCAH and mental health.

Strengthening public health capacities and human resource

The CHED and DOH shared their respective contributions to the PNHRS focusing on building capacities and manpower. DOH Usec. Bravo shared that the Department is proposing a policy that will institutionalize the setting up of DOH-supervised hospitals in every region. In Caraga, there are ongoing efforts to put up DOH-supervised hospitals in Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Bislig.

To make specialized healthcare available to Filipinos across the regions, the DOH is also pushing for the establishment of specialized centers in every region. “Para you can already avail of the services na binibigay sa specialized hospitals in Manila, dito sa region (So you can already avail of the services provided in specialized hospitals in Manila here in the region),” said Usec. Bravo.”

The DOH is also working with CHED to address the lack of medical doctors and researchers in the country. With the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, the two agencies are mandated to ensure the offering of a Doctor of Medicine Program in a state university in every region. According to CHED Director Dr. Gunigundo, Caraga is one of the two regions where a medical school is yet to be established. The Commission is hoping to establish a medical school through Caraga State University to address this gap. The CHED, together with the DOH, also offers scholarships for students of medicine, with a corresponding return service requirement.

On research capacities, Dr. Gunigundo shared that the CHED offers research grants to build a culture of research among the youth. “Ang gusto namin madevelop sana sa CHED, ay bukod sa pagiging practitioners nila, maging researchers din sila (What we want to develop at the CHED, is that aside from being practitioners, they will also be researchers),” she said.

Another capacity-building program implemented by the PNHRS for health research human resources is offered through the partnership between UP Manila and DOST-PCHRD. The MD-PhD in Molecular Medicine was developed to produce medical doctors with a strong background in basic and applied research. UP-NIH Executive Director Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz reported that in 2024, 13 scholars graduated from the program.

Providing health solutions

A major contribution of the PNHRS to the healthcare system is the generation of Filipino-made health technologies. DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Montoya enumerated some of the Council’s supported technologies that are being utilized to address health issues. He cited the RxBox, a telemedicine device that allows a healthcare provider to capture a patient’s vital signs remotely. The technology was deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow contactless monitoring of patients.

Other health-related projects mentioned were the enhanced Nutribun, the clinical trials of an anti-dengue drug, a Filipino-made dengue diagnostic kit, and the ovicidal larvicidal (OL) trap developed to control the population of dengue-carrying mosquitoes by eliminating larvae.

From the academe, UP-NIH Executive Director Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz shared the University’s significant health research breakthroughs in recent years. During the pandemic, the UP’s Philippine Genome Center (PGC) led the detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in the country which helped in the development of COVID-19 policies.

Aiming to boost the conduct of clinical trials for health innovations, the UP-NIH established the National Clinical Trials and Translation Center (NCTTC). “Sa pamamagitan po ng NCTTC na nasa NIH, ang mga rehiyon ay mabibigyan namin ng kapasidad para makapag clinical trials (Through the NCTTC at the NIH, the regions will be capacitated to conduct clinical trials),” shared Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz.

At the regional level, DOH-CHD XIII Regional Director and CHRDC Chairperson Dr. Cassion highlighted Caraga’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan and adolescent health program as health policies derived from research. “We tried to tweak our strategies to conform to the findings of the study,” said Dr. Cassion, explaining how research impacted the development of health policies, particularly in the pandemic response, in the region.

He also discussed HIV and schistosomiasis as pressing health concerns in Caraga region. According to Dr. Cassion, the region achieved progress in controlling the symptoms of schistosomiasis among affected patients. The DOH’s current control strategies include mass drug administration, zero open defecation policy, and ensuring clean water supply.

On HIV, Regional Director Cassion reported that the region is increasing capacities for treatment and forwarding advocacy promotion. The region has increased the number of its HIV treatment hubs from three to five hubs. 

DOST XIII Regional Director Engr. Noel Ajoc highlighted the region’s efforts in developing ready-to-eat (RTE) food products using local raw materials. The products are envisioned to be used for emergencies while contributing to improved nutrition and economic development in Caraga. “Out of our local raw materials, we can build businesses that will also address health issues,” said Engr. Ajoc.  

Conducted in partnership with the CHRDC and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga, approximately 50 media outlets from Caraga attended the press conference. A replay of the activity can also be accessed through the DOST-PCHRD Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dostpchrd/videos/1233580797654064/.