Press Releases
Signing and Exchange of Notes Concerning the Grant Aid to the Republic of the Philippines “the Project for Strengthening Screening System for Tuberculosis in the Remote Areas”
October 30, 2025
On October 16, in Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines, Mr. ENDO Kazuya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of the Philippines, and Mr. Andrew KIRKWOOD, Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Geneva Office, signed and exchanged notes for the Grant Aid “the Project for Strengthening Screening System for Tuberculosis in the Remote Areas” (grant amount: 370 million yen).
- In the Philippines, 739,000 people were reported as newly diagnosed with the tuberculosis (TB) in 2023, with an incidence rate of 643 cases per 100,000 population, making it one of the high-burden TB countries designated by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Government of the Republic of the Philippines has set a goal to reduce the TB deaths rate from 18 per 100,000 population (as of 2023) to 5 per 100,000 population, and to reduce TB incidence rate from 643 per 100,000 population (as of 2023) to 300 per 100,000 population by 2030, and has been advancing various initiatives toward the elimination of TB. On the other hand, the access to medical services is limited in areas outside urban centers, and it is a pressing matter to strengthen the TB treatment systems as well as to develop medical infrastructure, including in the remote areas.
- Under this cooperation, portable X-ray equipment and medical image diagnosis support AI systems will be provided to the remote areas in the Philippines. It is expected to improve access to TB screening and enhance diagnostic systems in the Philippines, thereby contributing to achieving universal health coverage regarding infectious disease control.
(Reference) Basic Data on the Republic of the Philippines
The Republic of the Philippines has an area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers, a population of about 115.84 million people (2024, World Bank), and a gross national income (GNI) per capita is 4,470 USD (2024, World Bank).