Over 70% of PHL deaths caused by non-communicable diseases – study

More than 70 percent of the deaths recorded in the Philippines annually are due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart illnesses, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, cancer, and others.

This was revealed by Valerie Gilbert Ulep of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), citing the 2009 National Statistics Office (NSO) death registry records, during the media briefing in Quezon City for the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases.

Ulep said NSO death registry records from 2000 to 2009 show a 38.3-percent increase in the number of deaths caused by NCDs.

On the other hand, deaths from communicable or infectious diseases like tuberculosis, respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, influenza have gone down, Ulep noted.

Factors for the rise in NCD deaths

“Ano ba yung nangyayari sa bansa natin kung bakit nagkakaganito, dumadami yung NCDs?” Ulep asked.

He cited three factors that could be triggering the rise in the number of NCD incidents:
1. Urbanization – Ulep said more people are choosing to reside in crowded urban areas;

2. Market liberalization – he said this has contributed to a rise in the Filipinos’ purchasing power and unfortunately, many Filipinos are buying unhealthy products;

3. Domestic food consumption – he noted that many Filipinos are making unhealthy food choices (junk food, fast food).

Ulep said 34 percent of deaths to NCDs can be classified as “premature,” meaning those who had these diseases could have lived longer if they made crucial changes in their diets and health habits.

He lamented the fact that many employed Filipinos are living a sedentary lifestyle. “Marami na tayong nagtatrabaho sa opisina na hindi nagpo-promote ng physical activity,” he said.

He added that nutritional surveys in the Philippines show an increase in the consumption of fats, salts, and proteins, especially among the poor.

“Mataas din yung prevalence ng smoking among the poor. Mas maraming nagso-smoke na mahirap compared sa mayayaman,” Ulep said. “Pati yung alcohol drinking, walang pattern, mayaman o mahirap nagko-consume ng alcohol.”

Need for government intervention

Ulep said there was an urgent need for the Philippine government to intervene in the country’s problem on NCDs.

In a statement issued by Health Justice also on Thursday, Ulep said annual health care costs and losses due to absence or deaths from four types of NCDs is P188 billion.

“Given the high mortality and burden of these NCDs, they are a substantial hindrance to global social and economic development as the diseases and their risk factors are closely related to poverty and further contribute to poverty, widening the health gaps and reflecting disproportionately in poor populations,” Ulep said.

“As there exists a division of social classes, inequities in access to protection, exposure to risk, and access to care contribute to the major inequalities in the occurrence and outcome of NCDs,” he added.

During the media briefing, Ulep noted that there are not enough government polices in the Philippines to combat NCDs.

He said there should be laws discouraging the importation of junk foods or the promotion of fast foods among the young.

“Sa ibang bansa hindi puwede 'yun. For example 'yung advertisement in Korea, hindi puwede mag-advertise ang fast food sa mga children's show,” he said.

“Tayo walang mga batas na ganoon. Dapat may mga ganoong mahigpit na gagawin ang gobyerno,” he said.

He also scored the lack of adequate labeling of foods. “Wala pa tayong malinaw na labeling practices. For example kung pupunta ako sa fast food hindi ko alam kung gaano kataas yung calories ng kinakain ko,” he said.

Ulep also cited the need to curb through taxation or strict regulations the inflow of unhealthy products from other countries.

He said the problem about NCDs is not just a concern of the Department of Health but of other agencies like the departments of Trade and Industry, Finance, Agriculture, and others.

Prevention cheaper than cure

Health Justice managing director Irene Reyes supported Ulep’s call for government intervention on the issue of NCDs.

“Our call is that the government needs to seriously invest in NCD prevention and control because NCDs cost us money,” she said.

Noting that prevention is cheaper than cure, Reyes added, “According to PhilHealth, ang yearly reimbursement ng treatment of NCD is about P5 billion so napakalaking pera ang nawawala sa gobyerno natin. One important intervention that we’re pushing for is to start at the prevention level.”

Reyes said the government “needs to go beyond health information.”

Instead of just informing people about the importance of a well-balanced diet, the government must create an “enabling environment” where healthy foods can easily be accessed by the poor.

As of now, she said, many poor Filipinos prefer eating junk food or noodles as these are cheaper compared to the more nutritious fruits or vegetables.

“There's a need to invest in health promotion in eliminating NCDs and the work of health promotion is important,” Reyes said.

“It's not just health information it also covers public policies, building public policies, helping public policies, creating supportive environments, strengthening community actions and developing our health care work force,” she explained.

Leading causes of death

According to a Heallth Justice brochure, NCDs are like silent assassins, causing two out of three deaths globally.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the Philippines, with five out of 10 Filipinos dying of heart disease.

Diabetes is also one of the top 10 causes of deaths among Filipinos and Southeast Asians in general.

In 2011, there were 366 million cases of diabetes around the world and majority of the cases were in Southeast Asia.

Health Justice said 30 percent of NCD sufferers die prematurely before the age of 60.

In the Philippines, 90 percent of Filipinos have at least one risk factor for contracting NCDs.

The five main risk factors for NCDs are: tobacco use, alcohol use, insufficient exercise, unhealthy diet, and lack of road safety practice.

Dr. Corazon Ngelangel, head of the Philippine Cancer Society, also cited the need to promote healthy lifestyle changes to eliminate a person’s risk factor for contracting a non-communicable disease.

“NCDs are kind of linked together and the risk factors that we are looking at are what you're exposed to everyday of your life: cigarette smoking, yung pagkain na kinakain natin, of course yung environmental hazards, and others,” she said.

“But the thing is, can we prevent this? And the answer actually is yes,” she added. — BM, GMA News