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HINIMOK ni House Committee on Health Vice Chairman at AnaKalusugan Partylist Rep. Ray T. Reyes ang Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) na gamitin na lamang ang nalalabi sa P340-milyong advertising budget ng nasabing ahensya ngayong taon sa pagpapagamot ng mga psoriasis patients sa bansa.
“Instead of using its budget on advertisements, we are urging PCSO to focus on charity and help people with medical needs such as psoriasis,” mahigpit na panawagan ng House panel official sa government charitable institution.
Partikular na pinagbatayan ni Reyes sa kanyang panawagan ang datos ng grupong Psoriasis Philippines (PsorPhil) kung saan lumalabas na kaunti lamang Pilipinong nabibigyang lunas bunsod ng kawalan ng kakayahang tustusan ang kinakailangang gamutan.
“The survey showed that over a third (37.1 percent) of respondents are unemployed while a little over half of the respondents (52.3 percent) earn less than PHP20,000 a month. Because most of them cannot afford the cost of sustaining their treatments, patients had to take out loans or ask for aid from government agencies,” paglalahad pa ng pro-health advocate lawmaker.
“Apart from the financial burden of the disease, the survey also showed that almost 8 out of 10 (77 percent) respondents reported experiencing depression while 66 percent dealt with anxiety. This just shows that the suffering of people afflicted with psoriasis are more than skin-deep,” dugtong pa ng kongresista.
Sa pagtaya ng Department of Health (DOH), nasa 1.8 milyon (katumbas ng 1.5 hanggang 2% ng mga Pilipino ang apektado ng Psoriasis – isang autoimmune condition kung saan ang immune system ng isang tao ay overactive na makikita sa pagkakaroon ng makapal, mapula, kung minsan naman ay maka-kaliskis na balat sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng katawan.
Giit ng Anakalusugan partylist solon, mahalaga ang pagsusulong ng early detection at intervention upang maagapan at maiwasan umabot sa co-morbidities at severe complications dulot ng nabanggit na karamdaman.
Nauna nang inihain ni Reyes ang House Bill 1106 na nagsusulong ng mas aktibong ‘National Integrated Program to Prevent and Cure Psoriasis’.
“Not much attention is given to psoriasis and this is why we are pushing for a bill to address the unmet needs and improve the quality of life of Filipinos living with this disease. The measure would ensure that people with psoriasis would get the help and treatment they need,” ani Reyes.
“There are many instances where individuals are under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed. This is why we need to provide mechanisms for early identification, screening, and diagnosis of persons suffering from psoriasis,” pagtatapos ng mambabatas.
