Stand up and speak out for our young girls and women — this is the message of Cancer Coalition Philippines (CCPh), voicing alarm over the dwindling budget allocation for HPV vaccine immunization in the forthcoming 2024 budget. The cuts not only threaten to undermine ongoing efforts to prevent cervical cancer but also signal deprioritization of women’s health in the Philippines.
“Increase the budget allocated for HPV vaccination. Eliminating cervical cancer is worth the budget increase. Let us not compromise our capacity as a nation to reduce avoidable deaths from this preventable cancer. We should not put at risk the lives of these unserved, vulnerable young girls. We should ACT NOW, rather than regret the losses from our inaction later,” said Carmen Auste, Vice President of CCPh.
Cervical cancer is now the second most prevalent form of cancer in Filipino women. Every two hours, a Filipina loses her battle against this disease, with devastating impact to thousands of Filipino families— the most basic unit of our society. Yet this systemic tragedy is avoidable, as cervical cancer is preventable through HPV vaccination because 99.7% of cervical cancers are caused by HPV infection.
The proposed 2024 Department of Health (DOH) budget would drastically reduce HPV vaccine doses available for the public, from 1.4 million in 2022 and 1 million in 2023, to just merely 750,000 doses. This setback derails the DOH’s “90-70-90” cervical cancer elimination targets (90% of 9 to 14-year-old girls vaccinated against HPV, 70% of women have undergone high-quality cervical cancer screening, and 90% of diagnosed women receive timely and appropriate care) set for 2030, aligned with global efforts led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue. According to the CCPh, these targets are doable if we provide DOH with sufficient budget support.
In a recent statement released by CCPh, it said “the substantial drop in budget allocation means that out of 7 Filipina girls who still needs to be vaccinated, only 1 will be able to receive at least a single dose of the vaccine. This significantly compromises the future health and well-being of the remaining unvaccinated young girls.”
Recent WHO data indicates that the Philippines has achieved only 33% of its HPV vaccination target for girls under 15, a far cry from the 90% goal set for 2030. A decrease in government investment in HPV vaccination programs would mean lesser vaccine coverage and potentially risk thousands of young girls’ lives in the future.
Furthermore, CCPh, along with its partner organizations, healthcare workers, community advocates, the families of unserved, vulnerable young girls, and civil society organizations, call on legislators and government leaders to disapprove this proposed reduction in HPV vaccination funding. The Coalition appeals for reprioritizing this vital preventative measure, “let us not compromise our capacity as a nation to reduce avoidable deaths from this preventable cancer.”
By not prioritizing the budget for the HPV immunization program, we’re essentially taking a step back in women’s health rights and gender equality, not to mention risking a surge in healthcare costs down the line. The facts speak for themselves: cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Filipina women, but we can prevent it. This is a wake-up call.
CCPh stresses that the lives of Filipina women are more than numbers and statistics; they are the bedrock of the nation and a vital part of its future. As such, the Coalition strongly urges the public and the government not to compromise our capacity as a nation to reduce avoidable deaths from this preventable cancer and to advocate for proactive steps to protect the country’s most valuable resource–its people. “Let us not jeopardize and put at risk the future of our young girls and women. They are the bedrock of our nation — they are a vital part of our shared future.”
