ABCGH and the Iloilo Provincial Government Sign MOA for Province-Wide Thyroid Screening

Our second provincial partnership, and we're just getting started.

Thyroid disorders affect 1 in 12 Filipinos, and most of them are women. Yet many remain undiagnosed, not because treatment is unavailable, but because the tools for detection have never reached the communities that need them most.

That's not just a statistic. It's a quiet health crisis playing out in barangays, homes, and clinics across the country, where people feel tired, gain weight, lose focus, and are told they're just stressed. Meanwhile, a small gland in their neck is the actual culprit.

On April 7, 2026, ABC's for Global Health signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Iloilo Provincial Government to help change that. Iloilo is now the second province, after Benguet, to partner with ABCGH for province-wide thyroid screening, following the free thyroid screening program launched in Pampanga alongside Merck in December 2024, where 3,500 TSH test kits were donated and screenings were conducted through ABCGH's Medical Mobile Clinic.

What We're Actually Doing

This isn't a one-day medical mission. Through this MOA, ABCGH is putting real resources directly into Iloilo's health system:

• Specialized Thyroid Test Kits: Distributed to primary care facilities across the province, ensuring high-quality screening is available at the local level, not just in the city.

• POCT Machines: Equipping the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and Primary Care Facilities with the technology needed for accurate results, so samples don't need to travel far for processing.

• A Structured Referral System: Patients who test positive don't just get a result and go home. They get connected to medical management and the follow-up care they deserve.

The goal is to make thyroid screening a routine, sustainable part of healthcare in Iloilo, built into the province's existing Primary Care Facilities rather than running parallel to them. This is health infrastructure, built to last.

Why Thyroid Health

According to the PhilTiDes 1 Study (2008), thyroid disorders affect an estimated 8% of the population. Conditions like hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are particularly insidious because their symptoms are easy to dismiss: fatigue, weight changes, mood shifts, brain fog.

Many cases go undiagnosed for years, quietly leading to long-term complications that affect metabolic function, cardiovascular health, and mental well-being.

In underserved areas, the problem is compounded. It's not just awareness that's lacking. It's access to the specific diagnostic tools needed to confirm a diagnosis in the first place.

Why Iloilo, and Why Now

The Pampanga program showed what works: embedding screening into existing health infrastructure, building local capacity, and creating a referral pathway so patients don't fall through the cracks after testing. Iloilo was the natural next step. The provincial government was ready, the need was clear, and the groundwork for a sustainable program was already there to build on.

At the ceremonial signing at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, ABCGH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Arthur Gallo was joined by Provincial Administrator Dr. Raul N. Banias and PHO II Dr. Maria Socorro C. Quiñon to formalize the commitment through the MOA.

Made Possible by Merck

This progress is made possible through the support of Merck, whose commitment to Sparking Discovery, Elevating Humanity enables ABCGH to move beyond awareness and into sustainable, system-level impact. Together, we are translating science into access, bringing diagnostics, care pathways, and long-term solutions closer to the patients who need them.

The Bigger Picture

Geography shouldn't determine whether you find out you have a thyroid condition. But right now, it often does. Specialist access, lab testing, and follow-up care are concentrated in cities, and Filipinos outside those urban centers are left managing symptoms they can't name.

This marks the second phase of ABCGH's thyroid health program, expanding across provinces following our Pampanga rollout with Merck Healthcare in 2024. The model works. And we are scaling it.

Because health equity is not a tagline. It is something we build.

This partnership is part of ABCGH's ongoing commitment to making accessible, early-detection healthcare a reality for every Filipino community, wherever they are.