The ICanServe Foundation (ICS) convenes the 4th Patient Power Philippines workshop at SEDA Hotel, BGC, on October 4 and 5. Titled “Leading With Care: Building a Supportive Future for Breast Cancer Survivors,” the two day workshop focuses on survivorship and supportive care.

ICanServe will bring together breast cancer support group leaders, ICanServe local government unit partners, healthcare professionals, patient advocates, and government, to discuss crucial yet often overlooked topics such as survivorship and supportive care for breast cancer patients.

This workshop seeks to address gaps in underrepresentation in middle-income countries like the Philippines by creating a platform for discussing the integration of a multi-disciplinary, holistic support within existing healthcare frameworks.

The event will feature a series of panel discussions, presentations, and breakout sessions designed to equip participants with practical strategies to develop personalized survivorship care plans. Additionally, the workshop will encourage collaboration among patient groups to pool resources, making supportive services more accessible and sustainable.

The speakers will also present models from countries where comprehensive survivorship care clinics, or “one-stop shops” have been successfully implemented, providing potential blueprints for the Philippine healthcare system.

Participants will benefit from insights shared by a distinguished lineup of speakers, including experts in oncology, patient advocacy, and public health. Keri Zamora, first lady of San Juan, and president of the Metro Manila Mayors’ Spouses Foundation, will serve as an inspirational speaker, setting the tone for the workshop. Keynote is Jeff Dunn, President of the Union for International Cancer Control.

Other key discussions will include: Developing personalized survivorship care plans for breast cancer patients; Establishing networks of affordable or free supportive care services; and Advocating for government policies that integrate survivorship into primary healthcare.

Tina Monson Palma will moderate a session on hospice and palliative care which would feature Fatima “Girlie” Lorenzo, executive director of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Council of the Philippines, and Dr. Mae Corvera, founder of The Ruth Foundation, as resource persons.

In the session on how to institutionalize multidisciplinary survivorship and supportive care in both the public and private sectors, Emmanuel Ledesma, president and CEO of Philhealth leads the panel along with Dr. Claire Soliman of the East Avenue Medical Center, and Cancer Coalition Philippines, and Dr. Ramy Roxas of National Integrated Cancer Control Council, Philippine Cancer Commission, Healthway Cancer Hospital, and Dr. Mae Corvera will join this conversation. Dr. Madeleine Valera, former SVP of PhilHealth, will moderate the session.

Dr. Don Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO, a medical oncologist and professor specializing in women’s cancers, will headline the discussions on “Survivorship Care,” “MBC Survivorship Care,” and “Supportive Care.”

The session on “Mental Health” will feature Alya Honasan, a writer, editor, and breast cancer survivor, together with Lia Delgado-Infante, a licensed psychologist from InTouch Community Services. Lia will offer guidance on effective self-care strategies, particularly for families navigating the emotional challenges of cancer.

Doris Nuval, board member of ICanServe, will host Day 1, while Bibeth Orteza, ICanServe’s spokesperson, will host Day 2. Chiqui Roa-Puno will moderate the session on “Financial Navigation” featuring Exequiel Sy from PhilHealth, Romeo Marcaida from the Philippine Cancer Society, and Dr. Jan Aura Llevada from the Department of Health. There will also be conversations on “Diet and Nutrition” and “Lymphedema and Skin Care” which will be led by Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan, Dr. Maricar Esculto-Khan Tan, Dr. Francis Ciabal and Dr. Claire Habito and Exercise as Medicine by Dr. Rob Newton, exercise Physicologist.

Stories of Hope will be shared by ICanServe volunteers Irene Lee, Marivic Bugasto and Betty Senador.

The workshop aims to empower patient groups to take actionable steps toward improving survivorship care. Leaders will receive tools to help their members develop survivorship care plans and advocate for policies that prioritize this care within the healthcare system.

Additionally, participants will collaborate to develop a set of policy recommendations for the government and healthcare providers. These proposals will advocate for the prioritization of survivorship and supportive care within the healthcare system, ensuring that all breast cancer survivors in the Philippines receive comprehensive care.

This workshop promises to be a significant catalyst for policy change, aiming to provide every breast cancer survivor with access to the care and support they deserve. It also forms part of the ICS’s ongoing advocacy for better survivorship care, aiming to build a future where every breast cancer survivor has access to holistic, multidisciplinary support.

Now on its 4th edition, the event is being organized in partnership with AstraZeneca, Bio-ONCO, Roche, Novartis, MSD, Healthway Cancer Care Hospital, NutriAsia and the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP).