PPS partners with Pharex in updating pediatric education

The Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) partnered with Pharex HealthCorp in conducting the recent 9th Seminar Workshop on the Undergraduate Pediatric Education Curriculum ( UPEC) at the PPS office in Diliman, Quezon City.

Carrying the theme “Revisiting the 2001 Undergraduate Pediatric Education Curriculum: Ensuring Relevance and Effectiveness,” the event sought to revise the existing UPEC Curriculum Manual, to update the knowledge and practice of training future pediatricians based on current health problems and issues of Filipino children, and national thrusts in child health care.

As UPEC chair Dr. Carmelo Alfiler explains, “In producing a new breed of physicians, we need to be mindful of the discovery of new medicines, technologies, and procedures, the rise of new diseases, and the emergence of new social and environmental problems. It is important that they be equipped with the skills that respond to these challenges to become effective healthcare professionals.”

Pharex, the country’s most prescribed unibranded generics medicine, has always been a partner of PPS for its initiatives in undergraduate pediatric education. Dr. Alfiler thanked the company for their continuing support, and expressed hope for more fruitful partnerships with the pharmaceutical company in the future.

For his part, Pharex president and CEO Tomas Marcelo Agana III conveyed the company’s gratitude for the partnership, which was forged 13 years ago. The support of Pharex to UPEC, he explained, is consistent with the company’s commitment to health and wellness of the Filipino people, including the Filipino child.

“We at Pharex remain so humbly gratified to be your long-term partner in the evolution of Undergraduate Pediatric education. We were honored to have been chosen to aid your efforts in developing the Manual for UPEC. And it is gratifying to have witnessed how the project has evolved through the years from paper to electronic to even online,” shared Agana.

Also gracing the event were UPEC cochair Dr. Ramon Arcadio, PPS president Dr. Melinda Atienza, and VP Dr. Milagros Bautista. For two-days, the participants gathered for lectures and workshops on UPEC, led by Prof. Melflor Atienza, Pharex VP sales and marketing Timmie Guillermo, PPS assistant secretary Dr. Ma. Noemi Salazar, and Association of Philippine Medical College Foundation executive director Dr. Fernando Sanchez Jr.