Date of submission of the HTAC Recommendation: 04 December 2025
Date of notification to HTAC on the SOH decision: 07 May 2026

The Secretary of Health (SOH) concurs with the final recommendation of the HTA Council on  Thermal Ablation for the treatment of premalignant lesions of the cervix among women 30 to 65 years old who are deemed eligible for ablation in accordance to the World Health Organization (WHO) screen-treat approach(Annex A and B)or screen-triage-treat approach (Annex C and D) through Department of Health (DOH) Department Circular No. 2026-0124 “Cascading of Recommendation for Government Financing of Thermal Ablation as a Treatment Option for Premalignant Lesions of the Cervix” published on 31 March 2026.
As a final recommendation,the HTA Council recommends Thermal Ablation as a treatment option for premalignant lesions of the cervix among women aged 30 to 65 years old who are deemed eligible for ablation in accordance with the WHO screen-treat approach or screen-triage-treat approach, for government financing. The Council further recommends that the DOH follow the existing WHO Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for thermal ablation indicated in the 2020 WHO Technical Guidance and Specifications of Medical Devices for Screening and Treatment of Precancerous Lesions in the Prevention of Cervical Cancer (Chapter 5) to guide the selection and procurement of this health technology.

For further details, please refer to the documents below: