PANEL REACTOR by Dr. Jaime Montoya, Executive Director of Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, Department of Science and Technology
The occurrence of so many unexpected events make this report apt and timely—the pandemic, the wars, the inflation, which put pressure on the prices of various commodities and services, especially in the health sector.
The Power of Innovation: A Report on the Contributions of the Philippine Pharmaceutical Industry, has documented innovations initiated by PHAP in the country’s battle against the COVID-19 virus.
These are innovations that go beyond science and technology, involving collaborations—the whole of society, the government and civil society connecting across the national, local and the grassroots levels to come up with solutions at every stage of the pandemic.
During the pandemic, PHAP members had been instrumental in research and development—for the diagnosis of the disease, search for effective vaccines and treatments, ramping up testing capacity, and increasing public understanding to address vaccine hesitancy among others.
The report serves as a record of the efforts taken during the pandemic, as well as the lessons learned during the pandemic and post-pandemic, that help us safeguard our future.
We need not have to scramble to respond to crises as they come. We already have measures and solutions in place to at least mitigate the effects of the next pandemic.
History has taught us that COVID-19 will definitely not be the last. Pandemic or not, we hope PHAP will be our constant ally in advocating for better health. We would definitely need PHAP’s continued support to build a more adaptable, sustainable and resilient health system for our country as we confront problems associated with a growing and aging population, globalization, global health threats, and health concerns due to natural disasters.
As the national coordinating body for health research, which employs partnership as a strategy, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) hopes that PHAP can help us connect with your networks to help our Filipino scientists and researchers bring locally developed technologies to the market.
Through PHAP’s influence, I hope we can hold more conversations on the importance of investing in and commercializing our local technologies.
Rest assured that we, at the DOST-PCHRD, will continue to support initiatives focused on making the health of Filipinos at the heart of research. We will certainly look forward to working hand in hand with all of you in achieving our national health goals. Again, congratulations on this fruitful undertaking, PHAP! Thank you for your service to the country and more power!
