The Philippines faces a unique triple burden of disease that requires the health system to simultaneously address lifestyle illnesses, lingering infectious diseases, and modern-society conditions including mental health problems, newly appointed Health Secretary Edwin Mercado said Saturday.
Mercado made the statement in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on August 22, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series featuring the Department of Health (DOH).
He said the first layer of the triple burden consists of lifestyle diseases associated with the Philippines’ rising income status—heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes—which are becoming more prevalent as Filipinos adopt sedentary habits and unhealthy diets.
“Tayo ay unique kasi parang tinatawag natin meron tayong triple burden of disease. Una diyan, nagiging progressive na tayo, upper-middle income na tayo, nandiyan yung mga lifestyle diseases like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes,” Mercado said.
The second layer consists of infectious diseases that still persist despite the country’s development, including HIV, tuberculosis, and pneumonia—illnesses that are more commonly associated with lower-income countries but have not yet been fully controlled in the Philippines.
“Pero meron pa rin tayong mga diseases na carry-over ng low-middle income country like infectious diseases, HIV, TB, pneumonia,” Mercado said.
The third layer reflects the pressures of modern Philippine society, with rising rates of injuries and mental health conditions tied to increased social media use, greater mobility through travel, and the stresses of contemporary urban life.
He said cancers are also emerging as a significant contributor to Philippine mortality, making early detection and screening critical to improving survival rates and reducing the cost of treatment.
“Isa rin pong nag-eemerge sa ating mga top diseases are cancers. Pagka po nabibigyan natin ng pangunahing lunas at nagkaroon po tayo ng early detection, mas maganda po yung outcome, mas maganda po yung survival rate,” Mercado said.
He said the Unified National Agenda for Health is designed to address all three layers of the disease burden simultaneously, with the five pillars of UNA covering prevention, early detection, treatment, and rehabilitation at every level of the health system.
Health Undersecretary Gloria Balboa said the DOH’s health programs are now focused on early screening for TB, HIV, and cancer, with outreach services bringing portable X-ray machines and screening equipment directly to communities rather than waiting for patients to come to health facilities.
