The summit brought together over 100 regional leaders, healthcare professionals, policymakers, industry players, academic institutions, and patient advocates from across Southeast Asia. Their shared goal: to tackle the persistent barriers to medicine access for underserved communities and promote long-term, equitable healthcare solutions.
Filipino delegates from Takeda Healthcare Philippines, along with other local advocates, underscored the urgent need to amplify patient voices and pursue inclusive policy reforms. The summit’s message was clear—no one sector can solve access issues alone. Collaborative, sustained engagement from governments, the private sector, health organizations, and civil society is vital.
Recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that global progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has stalled since 2019. In the Philippines, the situation remains dire—only 22 percent of provinces had adequate primary care facilities in 2023, well below the 50 percent national target, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. This underlines the urgency of healthcare system improvements.
Professor Guido David, director of the Diliman Artificial Intelligence Program at the University of the Philippines and OCTA Research Fellow, highlighted how patients with serious illnesses face systemic challenges beyond their medical conditions.
“We must harness digital innovations in treatment monitoring, medicine distribution, and patient engagement to improve outcomes,” he said. “Timely, equitable care should be a right, not a privilege.”
Patient voices were front and center throughout the summit. Karen Villanueva, president of the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations (PAPO), emphasized the value of regular, meaningful engagement in shaping healthcare policy.
“We've seen promising collaboration between patient groups and other stakeholders. Sustained joint efforts will lead to real improvements in patient outcomes,” she stated.
Key topics discussed during the summit included the affordability of medicine, regulatory roadblocks, and fragile healthcare infrastructures in SEA nations. Public-private partnerships, health technology assessments, and digital tools were explored as practical levers to overcome these hurdles.
A cornerstone of the event was the unveiling of the Southeast Asia Access to Medicines Pledge, which commits partners to a five-point agenda:
Champion inclusive healthcare systems by mobilizing all sectors to prioritize medicine access.
Collaborate for innovation through scalable solutions tailored to SEA’s healthcare needs.
Enable policy transformation with evidence-based reforms.
Elevate community voices by embedding them in decision-making.
Demonstrate progress via a measurable roadmap tracking access improvements.
Organized by Access Health International, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), and SingHealth Duke–NUS Global Health Institute in collaboration with Takeda, the summit laid the groundwork for a shared regional roadmap that could reshape how communities in Southeast Asia access life-saving treatments.
The commitments forged in Bangkok represent the beginning of a long-term effort to dismantle systemic barriers through innovation, advocacy, and inclusive collaboration. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
