WHO to honor Noy for public health gains

MANILA, Philippines - The World Health Organization (WHO) will honor President Aquino for his leadership in implementing the sin tax and reproductive health laws as well as the expansion of social health insurance coverage.

According to Shin Young-Soo, WHO regional director for Western Pacific, it was “fitting” to honor President Aquino as part of World Health Day 2013 tomorrow, considering his “exemplary leadership in public health.”

“Among his most significant accomplishments have been raising taxes on tobacco and alcohol, and giving vulnerable Filipinos access to health insurance and to reproductive health care,” Shin said.

Shin said Aquino “truly embodies the principle from which WHO derives so much of its direction and inspiration: that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right.”

This year’s celebration of World Health Day is focused on high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, which is implicated in many heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.

High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of preventable death.

“Public health policy needs to address high blood pressure. If it doesn’t then we won’t be able to adequately address the epidemic of non-communicable diseases that accounts for 80 percent of the deaths in our region,” Shin said. Shin warned high blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases that account for about half of non-communicable disease deaths.

“So, the connection between controlling high blood pressure and achieving our ambitious targets for the control of the non-communicable diseases is plain,” he said.

High blood pressure is often related to behavioral or lifestyle factors like eating foods high in salt and fat, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity and tobacco use.

There are also metabolic risk factors like diabetes, high blood cholesterol and obesity that increase the risk of complications from high blood pressure, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and blindness.

WHO said many people do not know they have high blood pressure because it does not always manifest symptoms, making it a “silent killer.”

It is estimated that high blood pressure complications account for 9.4 million deaths globally each year. One in three adults worldwide suffer from high blood pressure.

The proportion increases with age, from one in 10 people in their 20s and 30s to five in 10 in their 50s. Worldwide, high blood pressure causes 51 percent of deaths due to stroke and 45 percent due to heart disease.

In the Western Pacific region, 37 percent of adults older than 24 have high blood pressure – 40.4 percent in men and 34.9 percent in women.

Some 36.7 percent of adults aged 25 and older have raised blood cholesterol; 33.2 percent of people older than 15 years have insufficient physical activity; 25.4 percent of adults older than 20 years are overweight; and 24.8 percent of adults older than 15 smoke tobacco daily.

“The risk of developing high blood pressure and its dire consequences can be minimized by cutting down on salt and fat, eating a balanced diet, avoiding tobacco and the harmful use of alcohol and getting regular exercise,” WHO said.

For many people, lifestyle changes are sufficient to control blood pressure but for others, medication is required.

WHO added that inexpensive medication is now available and effective when taken as prescribed.

This year’s celebration has the targets of raising awareness on the causes, consequences and prevention of high blood pressure, encouraging adults to check their blood pressure and to follow the advice of health-care professionals; encouraging self-care to prevent high blood pressure; and making blood pressure measurement affordable to all, among others.

Meanwhile, former Health secretary Alberto Romualdez yesterday chided bishops for putting out the “Team Patay” posters to discourage voters from supporting candidates supportive of the Reproductive Health Law.

“Politics is not about putting people who agree with you in power,” Romualdez said.

“It’s okay to engage in politics. What is not okay is to meddle in the decision on who to vote for,” he said.

Romualdez is a staunch supporter of the RH Law that has been vehemently opposed by the Catholic leadership.

Romualdez also heads a group called Catholics for Reproductive Health.

“Catholic bishops are reminded to be faithful to their mission as shepherds of the flock and not to engage in partisan politics, especially in endorsing or demonizing candidates,” the group said in a statement.

The group called on Church leaders to become like responsible parents who equip their children with necessary tools for critical thinking and responsible living.

Instead of coming out with specific names of candidates, the group listed traits and advocacies that it said candidates should have.

The group presented the acronym SINCERE that stands for social justice, integrity, nationalist, courage and conscience, equity and equality, responsible rights, and empowerment.

The Supreme Court recently issued a status quo ante ruling against the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law.