WHO to Fete Aquino for RH, Sin Tax Laws

April 7, 2013 5:52pm

The World Health Organization will fete President Benigno Aquino III on Monday for his achievements in public health, including the recently signed laws on reproductive health and sin taxes.

Malacañang said Aquino will be attending an event marking World Health Day 2013 at the WHO’s Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila.

Also expected to attend Monday’s event is Health Secretary Enrique Ona.

“Among his most significant accomplishments have been raising taxes on tobacco and alcohol, and giving vulnerable Filipinos access to health insurance and reproductive health care. He 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,” a news release from the Presidential Communications and Operations Office quoted WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr Shin Young-soo as saying.

WHO on RH bill: No Politics, Just Facts

by Rappler.com

Posted on 08/03/2012 6:14 PM | Updated 08/03/2012 6:25 PM

BASIC FACTS. The World Health Organization says the RH bill must not be misused as a political tool. File photo from Newsbreak BASIC FACTS. The World Health Organization says the RH bill must not be misused as a political tool. File photo from Newsbreak

MANILA, Philippines – It’s not about political pressure. It’s about the facts.

An official of the World Health Organization (WHO) belied statements of critics of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill that the measure should not be passed just because of pressure from international bodies.

WHO Country Representative to the Philippines Dr Soe Nyunt-U reiterated the need to pass the RH bill, saying it is an issue of reproductive health and responsible parenthood, and “should not be misused as a political tool.”

“We are organizations that do not take sides. What we want to do is to provide the basic facts and figures about the issues and considerations,” Soe told select media representatives on Friday, August 3.

Debates on the RH bill again heat up ahead of a crucial vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, August 7. The vote will determine whether the debates in Congress will be prolonged or the measure will finally enter the period of amendments.

WHO, UN Body Say Phl Needs RH Law

By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star) Updated April 21, 2012 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) cited yesterday the need for the Philippines to have a law on reproductive health (RH) to institutionalize policies and programs on maternal and child health.

In a press conference highlighting “162 to 52 Summit on Maternal and Child Health,” UNFPA Country Representative Ugochi Daniels said without an RH law, efforts to prevent mothers and children from dying depend on the “coalitions of women who do advocacies to potentially win partnership at the local level.”

“What a national policy will ensure is that the reproductive state of the Filipinos is protected and mandated at the national level,” she said.

WHO Country Representative Dr. Soe Nyunt-u agreed that the “RH bill is of paramount importance for the welfare of the Filipino people.”

WHO Expert Opinion on House Bill 4643 on Abortive Substances and Devices in the Philippines

Posted on June 20, 2011 by RHAN

UNDP/UNFPA/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP)
Department of Reproductive Health and Research
World Health Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
7 November 2006

BACKGROUND
The Committee on Revision of Laws, House of Representatives, Republic of the Philippines requested a position paper on House Bill 4643 (abortive substances and devices) from the World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines Country Office. The WHO Country Office forwarded this request to the WHO Regional Office, which in turn forwarded the request to WHO Headquarters in Geneva.

WHO Official Reply to Questions on the Mechanisms of Action of Specific Contraceptives

Posted Thu, 06/16/2011

OFFICE OF THE WHO REPRESENTATIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES
Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila, Philippines
P.O. Box 2932, 1000 Manila, Philippines

In reply please refer to: WP/2011/0622/cd (MCN)
Prière de rappeler la référence: Honourable Edcel C. Lagman
Representative, 1st District of Albay
House of Representatives
Quezon City

6 June 2011

Dear Congressman Lagman,

This refers to your letter dated 2 June 2011 requesting this Office for expert and official opinion on three issues. Please be informed that we have forwarded your request to WHO Headquarters in Geneva, and our answers to the three (3) questions are as follows:

Question 1: While it is generally acknowledged that the two mechanisms of contraceptives consist of (a) preventing ovulation; and (2) preventing the sperm from fertilizing the egg, some say there is a third mechanism, which is to prevent the implantation of the fertilized ovum. Has this “third” mechanism been validated by clinical studies or is this a gratuitous claim by some pill and IUD manufacturers for commercial reasons?

Answer: To date, there is no scientific evidence supporting the contention that hormonal contraceptives and IUD prevent implantation of the fertilized ovum. While hormonal contraceptives directly or indirectly have effects on the endometrium that may hypothetically prevent implantation, there is already strong evidence on the primary mechanism of action of the following contraceptives:

(Book) WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines

The WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines has been updated every two years since 1977. The current versions are the 17th WHO Essential Medicines List and the 3rd WHO Essential Medicines List for Children updated in March 2011.

CURRENT LISTS

ADULTS — 17th edition (March 2011)
English [pdf 432 kb]

Source: http://www.who.int/medicines/publications/essentialmedicines/en/index.html