DOH - DPCB, Vital Strategies, ASOG hold preparatory meeting for tobacco cessation services action planning

The Department of Health (DOH), through the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau (DPCB), in collaboration with Vital Strategies and the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), held a preparatory meeting with selected stakeholders at Seda Vertis North, Quezon City on November 16, 2023.

In attendance were members of the national technical working group on tobacco prevention and control, such as representatives from the DOH Health Promotion Bureau (HPB), the Lung Center of the Philippines Quitline, the University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), and the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP).

The meeting identified the needed pre-work, specific gaps, and critical points for discussion/resolution before the tobacco cessation services action planning workshop in the first quarter of 2024. During the meeting, Vital Strategies and ASOG presented their current undertakings looking into the current status of tobacco cessation services in the Philippines. Vital Strategies shared the results of their study assessing the progress and challenges in implementing smoking cessation through Key Informant Interviews. Meanwhile, ASOG presented its findings of a smoking cessation service questionnaire administered to healthcare facilities (all levels of care, both public and private) to assess respective physical capacity, technical capacity, and availability of resources to deliver smoking cessation services and facilitate smoking cessation interventions. Participants provided feedback and insights on critical issues to be addressed and corresponding policy recommendations.

Ultimately, the DOH-DPCB presented the critical components of the matrix for the smoking cessation framework, discussed its current status, and inquired about issues and recommendations based on the ground experiences and realities and expert feedback of the participants.

Ensuring smoking and vaping cessation services are accessible at all levels of care is one of the priorities identified in the National Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategy 2023 (NTPCS 2030) under Key Strategy 4. This activity forms part of several initiatives to reinforce support for implementing the NTPCS 2030.