Takeda Healthcare Philippines emphasized the importance of a collaborative, multi-sectoral approach to improve access to life-saving medicines during the first Southeast Asia Access to Medicine (SEA AtM) Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand. Loreann Villanueva, country manager of Takeda Philippines, led the local delegation in joining over 100 key leaders, policymakers, health professionals, and patient advocates from across the region.
The summit, organized by Access Health International, AVPN, and SingHealth Duke–NUS, tackled the growing challenge of limited access to healthcare services, especially in underserved communities across Southeast Asia. As reported by the World Health Organization, universal health coverage progress has stalled since 2019, exposing millions to medical vulnerabilities.
Experts from the Philippines, including Professor Guido David of UP Diliman and Karen Villanueva of the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations, underscored the need for digital health innovations, strengthened healthcare policies, and meaningful inclusion of patient voices in decision-making.
A key highlight was the adoption of the SEA Access to Medicines Pledge, uniting regional stakeholders around five shared goals:
- Inclusive healthcare systems for all;
- Collaborative innovation to address regional disease burdens;
- Policy transformation to eliminate systemic access barriers;
- Community voice integration in health policy planning;
- Accountability through measurable progress on medicine access.
Participants agreed that sustainable partnerships and integrated health strategies are essential to closing healthcare gaps and ensuring no patient is left behind in Southeast Asia.
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