Novartis participates anew in Day of the Future

• For the second consecutive year, Novartis Healthcare Philippines was again among several Swiss companies that participated in the Day of the Future initiative.
• Launched last November 2023 in the Philippines, Day of the Future is an annual tradition in Switzerland dedicated to children, the future of the world, being exposed to various career opportunities.
• For this year’s Day of the Future activity, Novartis Healthcare Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Science High School-Main Campus (PSHS-MC), and DepEd through the Embassy of Switzerland and the Swiss Cultural Fund facilitated the attendance of 10 select PSHS-MC students to a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Training Workshop at the University of the Philippines-Manila.

For the second consecutive year, Novartis Healthcare Philippines was again among several Swiss companies that participated in the Day of the Future initiative. 

Launched last November 2023 in the Philippines, Day of the Future is an annual tradition in Switzerland dedicated to children, the future of the world, being exposed to various career opportunities. During this special day, companies and offices open their doors to elementary and high school students to immerse them in different professional fields and discover new life paths. They are shown real work scenarios in an office or field, and allowed to experience what it is like to work as an adult in the professional world.

The Day of the Future initiative in the Philippines is organized by the Embassy of Switzerland-Philippines in partnership with the Swiss Cultural Fund-Philippines, the Department of Education’s International Cooperation Office (DepEd ICO), and various Swiss company partners. 

For the Day of the Future activity in 2024, Novartis Healthcare Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Science High School-Main Campus (PSHS-MC), and DepEd through the Embassy of Switzerland and the Swiss Cultural Fund facilitated the attendance of 10 select PSHS-MC students to a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Training Workshop at the University of the Philippines-Manila (UPM).

The workshop was organized by the UPM Department of Clinical Epidemiology, AE Foundation, Department of Science & Technology (DOST), and HTA Philippines. Following the workshop, the students attended a debriefing session with Dr. Jacinto Blas Mantaring III, Chairperson of the HTA Council. 

The PSHS is the leading science high school in the Asia Pacific Region. It is dedicated to providing relevant secondary education with emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and aimed at preparing students to become globally competitive Filipino science and technology leaders and professionals.

The HTA Council is an independent advisory body created under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act with the overall role of providing guidance to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on the coverage of health interventions and technologies to be funded publicly. 

“HTA provides systematic research for policymakers to evaluate multiple aspects of healthcare technology, such as cost, quality, and access to care. We hope that the Day of the Future initiative encourages and inspires young Filipino scholars to pursue a career in HTA,” said Ms. Christine Fajardo, Communications & Patient Advocacy Head, Novartis Philippines & Asia Aspiring Innovative Medicines. 

Through this year’s Day of the Future activity, Ms. Fajardo explained, Novartis seeks to expose Filipino students to health economics and outcomes research in line with the company’s thrust of strengthening the health care system through capacity and capability building initiatives to develop the country’s next generation of health economists and data scientists practicing HTA in support of Universal Health Care.

“The success of this year’s Day of the Future is a testament to the power of collaboration and shared vision with the SCF, the Swiss Embassy, and the Department of Education. We are also truly grateful for the trust and support of the DepEd and Secretary Sonny Angara, who joined us for the press conference. This project truly reinforces the positive impact we can all achieve together”, said Ms. Céline Fürst, Chargée d’affaires, Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines.

“We thank Novartis and HTA Philippines for giving our students a great learning experience through the Day of the Future initiative. Our students' interactions with experts in HTA sparks and strengthens their interest in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics]. We look forward to participating in future activities that will expose our students to different STEM careers,” said Dr. Rod Allan A. De Lara, OIC Campus Director, PSHS-MC.