The Philippines recorded a staggering 564-percent increase in new HIV cases from 2010 to 2024, while 58-percent percent of people living with HIV are concentrated in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon, Health Secretary Teodoro ‘Ted’ Herbosa presented on Wednesday.
Deaths linked to AIDS-related complications surged by 667 percent over the same period. Per the Department of Health’s (DOH) latest tally, a total of 9,439 individuals in the country have died due to HIV and AIDS.
“Those getting infected with HIV are very young. There is medicine for HIV, but if treatment is stopped, it can cause serious problems, so it’s crucial that we continue treatment without interruption,” Herbosa said during the demonstration of the Patient Appointment System (PAS) at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.
The system allows people with HIV to schedule antiretroviral (ARV) medicine refills online through their mobile phones or computers. It was launched following the recent rollout of PAS at Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital last week.
Herbosa personally visited San Lazaro Hospital to oversee the system’s implementation and listen to patients’ feedback. The PAS aims to shorten waiting times and make HIV-related services more efficient and accessible.
“We’ll continue our work. We are improving our health services, and the directive given to me by our president is to make you feel the reforms he is implementing,” he said.
Herbosa noted that long queues have been a persistent problem in Department of Health (DOH) hospitals across the country.
He emphasized that all HIV services must be accessible, especially as more young Filipinos are being diagnosed with the virus. “I need your help. I need the help of the entire society,” he said.
The DOH chief also presented that the most effective method of prevention against HIV is a combination of contraceptives and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or PrEP.
Herbosa closed with a reminder that prevention remains key: “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”
