HAPPENING NOW: OIC SINGH-VERGEIRE CONVENES PHILIPPINE NATIONAL AIDS COUNCIL TO STRENGTHEN PH AIDS RESPONSE

Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire, Chair of the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) today convened and led the 11th PNAC Plenary Meeting to review current strategies and discuss measures to address the consistent increase in HIV and AIDS cases in the country.

As part of the plenary meeting, the council is also set to concur with and approve the 7th AIDS Medium Term Plan, which will set the direction for the country’s HIV and AIDS response for the next six years. The new plan aims to utilize key learnings from the pandemic to improve the prevention, testing, diagnosis, and treatment strategies against HIV in the country, and is targeted to be launched on December 1, 2022 to coincide with the celebration of the “World AIDS Day”.

“As we now start to live with COVID-19, it is high time that we start paying attention to other equally pressing health issues that the country is facing, such as the continued spread of HIV. With this, we must maximize our existing governance mechanisms to solicit the support of different sectors and stakeholders, and build collaborative strategies to help in our fight against HIV. Today, the DOH renews its commitment and vows to work with all our partners to put an end to HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases,” the OIC Health Secretary said.