The Philippine Society of Gastroenterology (PSG), the Philippine Society of Digestive Endoscopy (PSDE), and the Hepatology Society of the Philippines (HSP) have joined forces once more. For the 2019 Philippine Digestive Health Week and Joint Annual Convention, the collaborating societies prepared a jam-packed 2-day lecture series with topics fitting for the modern Filipino gastroenterologist. These multi-specialty discussions mostly revolved around clinical conditions and treatments involving the digestive system and stayed true to this year’s theme: “Gastroenterology in the Era of Multidiscplinary Medicine”.
On the Wednesday morning of February 20, 2019, gastroenterologists from all over the country gathered at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) to register for the convention. Immediately after the opening ceremonies, the delegates attended the much awaited Gonzalo Austria Lecture, delivered this year by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. His speech on the the DOH’s goal and activities towards universal healthcare for all Filipinos was both informative and inspirational for all the attendees. His talk kickstarted the day’s lectures that primarily centered on gastroenterology topics such as the diagnosis and treatment for achalasia and pancreatic cancer.
Coinciding with these educational symposia were the activities at the exhibit area. Man Pharma was among the sponsors that had their booths set up for roaming attendees. Through the event, we were able to promote our line of RIDASCREEN Gastroenterology test kits from renowned manufacturer R-Biopharm AG. Our representative product specialists promoted the test kits’ capability to not only diagnose gut-related conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease but are also perfectly suited for the prevention of serious diseases like colon cancer.
As the booth activities went on to the second day, so did the new batch of symposia. For this year’s Francisco Roman Lecture, delegates received a stimulating lecture on the role of teleconferencing for medical societies from none other than DOST Secretary Fortunato T. dela Pena himself. Endoscopy was the underlying theme for the rest of PDHW-JAC’s second half. The speakers and delegates were able to discuss topics such as cholangiocarcinoma management and the endoscopic and surgical management options for morbid obesity. Outstanding endoscopy cases from past PSDE endoscopy workshops were also awarded during the new portion of the convention called “The Best of Philippine Endoscopy”.
To cap off another successful year, the attendees from all three societies celebrated together at the fellowship night. The solidarity shown by the involved societies in bringing this joint convention to reality just shows how in today’s multi-disciplinary medical landscape, all medical organizations are geared towards one goal: to deliver the ideal healthcare to the Filipino people.
