SLMCCM-WHQM signs the Saõ Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health
| October 21, 2021
St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine – WHQM continues to be a leader of Planetary Health in the country.
Last October 6, Dr. Dr. Susan Pelea Nagtalon (Dean and Chief Academic Officer) and Dr. Ramon Lorenzo Guinto (Associate Professor of the Practice of Global Public Health and Inaugural Director of the Planetary and Global Health Program) signed the São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health on behalf of St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine – WHQM. Link: https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/so-paulo-declaration-signatories-final
The São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health is a multi-stakeholder call to action co-created by the global planetary health community. It outlines the actions necessary to achieve the Great Transition, a just transformation to a world that optimizes the health & well-being of all people and the planet. The declaration for Health Practitioners read: “Immediately incorporate planetary health concepts and values into the main curricula and professional codes of conduct for all future health practitioners. Educate patients on the concepts of planetary health and utilize health practitioners’ trusted voices to raise awareness about the adverse effects of our current dysfunctional relationship with our planet. Draw upon diverse knowledge practices beyond westernized disciplines including those of Indigenous Peoples. Advocate for patient-centered policies that advance planetary health, including public access to health services as a human right, and incorporate solutions and community services beyond the clinic.” Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jyC7uXyt8o8PqoEJG44GMBjaTSjuqvUs/view
Early this year, the college became the first Philippine institution of higher learning to become a member of the Planetary Health Alliance. The PHA is a network of universities, NGOs, and other institutions that demonstrate a strong commitment to the advocacy of planetary health. Planetary health is a solutions-oriented, transdisciplinary field and social movement focused on analyzing and addressing the impacts of human disruptions to Earth’s natural systems on human health and all life on Earth. “The St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine-William H. Quasha Memorial – one of the top medical schools in the Philippines – launched a new Planetary and Global Health Program, with the vision of becoming a leading center of planetary and global health education, research, and translation in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. The College is committed to producing future health professionals who are devoted to planetary health values and principles, and to generate knowledge and practices that will contribute to improving the health of both people and the planet.” Link: https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/pha-members-sz