Latest news with #PIDS
GMA Network
16-07-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
Up to P15B lost yearly due to weak PH vaccination program — PIDS expert
The Philippines loses as much as P15 billion every year due to its "under-prioritized" immunization program for adults, as Filipinos and government grapple with mounting healthcare costs and lost productivity, a researcher from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said Wednesday. "If we try to balance the costs of vaccination that could be through administration, etc., the benefit really outweighs the cost," Valerie Ulep, a senior research fellow and program director for PIDS' health economic and finance program, said in a forum. Among the working age population, Ulep cited that the total hospitalization cost among Filipino adults because of flu is estimated at P1.6 billion. Meanwhile, foregone wages among adults due to flu-related hospitalizations costs around P64 million. Ulep also reported that the total hospitalization cost among adults due to flu is estimated at P5.5 billion. Further, data showed that the estimated average number of days lost during sickness is four days with productivity losses at nearly P6 billion. "The productivity losses due to sick days, there are a lot of empirical evidence saying, suggesting that around, on average, the number of days are four days. So when we try to compute that, you will arrive at P6 billion productivity losses," said Ulep. "So these are substantial losses around P14 to P15 billion every year. And almost all these are preventable with a functioning adult vaccination program." Among seniors Meanwhile, infectious disease specialist Rontgene Solante said research data show that most influenza-related deaths are recorded among Filipinos aged 60 years old and above. "Majority of the deaths here is not among the children, it's mostly among the 60 years old and above. So kapag tinitignan mo itong excess mortality rate, mataas talaga ito, 5.3 per 100,000 person. That tells a lot especially for our population, we have 107 million and we have like 10 to 14 million who are 60 years old and above. That's the reason why when we will be prioritizing flu vaccine, this should be the population na kailangan natin mabigyan agad," said Solante. Further, Ulep said there will be consequences if the country will not improve its adult immunization program. "With under-prioritized adult vaccination, health system costs will continuously rise. As our population ages, pneumonia and flu vaccines will increase simply because more people are at risk. Second is that because of non-communicable diseases, vaccine-preventable diseases will intersect, causing complications that are harder and more expensive to treat," he said. "Third is there is labor productivity reduction, labor productivity will decline. Especially in the context of the Philippines, where you have a high informal sector where workers do not have paid sick leaves or health protection. So that will have more negative impact," Ulep added. "And finally, it widens inequity, poor and working age adults are hit the hardest when public programs do not provide protection." The PIDS senior researcher said the government must invest in awareness campaigns for adult immunization. "The government might want to invest more in awareness and advocacy… Maybe the government may start regulatory and procurement reforms to reduce vaccine prices in the market… This could be a policy agenda that requires working with a private insurance and employers to cover adult vaccination as part of the supplemental benefit," said Ulep. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
03-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
PIDS: 28% of Filipino families live in extended households
PIDS Supervising Research Specialist Tatum Ramos said 28.8% of households in the Philippines are no longer of a traditional nuclear type. More than one in four Filipino households are in extended or multifamily arrangements, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). PIDS Supervising Research Specialist Tatum Ramos said 28.8% of households in the Philippines are no longer of a traditional nuclear type. 'Households have been veering away from the typical composition of household head, spouse, and a child,' Ramos said. She explained that this is the case due to the growing role of shared economic survival strategies in household formation. Published in December 2024, 'Demographic Trends nd Housing Patterns in the Philippines' defines extended and multifamily households as a family arrangement where parents or siblings cohabitate with relatives outside the immediate family nucleus. The study showed that there is a decline in nuclear household arrangements from 71% in 1990 to 61% in 2020. Meanwhile, people living in extended and multiple family arrangements increased from 25% in 1990 to 29% in 2020. 'They have decided to join their relatives in a household to gain support in growing their own family or [to manage] living and housing expenses,' Ramos said. Data from the study revealed a significant link between wealth and the likelihood of living in extended or multifamily arrangements. 'On average, the difference in the probability of being in an extended and multifamily household given one unit increase in the wealth estimate is a 6.5% point increase,' Ramos said. She argued that instead of viewing extended or multifamily arrangements as problematic, it rather present adaptive social strategies as it offers resource-sharing opportunities.
India.com
22-05-2025
- India.com
Delhi Metros Secret Revealed: How to Find Empty Coaches Before You Board The Train
Delhi Metro is one of the busiest metro systems in the country, with an average daily ridership of around 50 lakhs. In November 2024, it had recorded a historic milestone of 78 lakh ridership. While Delhi Metro mostly remains crowded, the public transporter is now rolling out a solution that will help people identify empty coaches before boarding the train. However, not everyone is aware of the tips and tricks associated with Delhi Metro. By using this facility, you can head directly to a less crowded coach, where you might even find a seat. Notably, Delhi Metro has two peak hours - from 8 AM to 12 noon and 5 PM to 9 PM. During these times, it's difficult to even stand, let alone find a seat. So, imagine if you could know which coach has empty space even before the train arrives at the platform – it would be a blessing. Although it might be hard to believe, Delhi Metro offers such a facility to its passengers. To check the coach status and the number of passengers, you can use the Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) installed on the platform of certain Delhi Metro stations. Through PIDS, you can easily check which coach is empty and which is crowded. The PIDS displays at metro stations show not only the train's arrival time but also the status of coaches C1, C2, C3, and so on, indicating the percentage of people seated in each. Delhi Metro introduced this facility because passengers often board any coach haphazardly. They face difficulties in crowded coaches, while other coaches on the same train might be less crowded. This happens because passengers are unaware of the crowd levels in other coaches. The PIDS works on the weight of a coach. According to information, Delhi Metro uses software to compare the weight of each coach with its empty weight to provide information on the percentage of crowding in the train. This gives an estimated idea of how full each coach is. However, this facility is not yet available on all Delhi Metro routes. This service has been launched on a trial basis on Delhi Metro's Magenta Line. Once implemented across all metro lines in Delhi, it will allow passengers to identify which coaches are less crowded.
Forbes
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Ukraine's F-16s Double As Radar-Hunting Spy Planes
Ukrainian F-16s. Seven months after their combat debut in August, Ukraine's Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters are flying sorties every day—sometimes several sorties per jet. Launching from a nationwide network of small airstrips, sometimes in conjunction with Ukraine's recently arrived Dassault Mirage 2000s, the nimble supersonic F-16s are shooting down Russian attack drones, jamming Russian radars with their underslung electronic warfare pods, dropping precision bombs—sometimes 'through someone's window,' according to one anonymous pilot—and apparently using their self-protection systems to pinpoint Russian air defenses. 'We constantly perform flights for aerial reconnaissance,' the unnamed pilot said in a recent official interview. 'We perform flights for electronic reconnaissance,' he specified. Among the thousands of F-16s in service around the world, there are some that are specially equipped for reconnaissance—with underbelly camera or radar pods. But Ukraine isn't known to have received any of these pods. Rather, the roughly 16 or so F-16s Ukraine has received—out of 85 surplus jets pledged by Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands and Norway—normally fly with AIM-9 infrared-guided air-to-air missiles, AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles, Small Diameter Bomb glide bombs and AN/ALQ-131 E.W. pods, which broadcast radio noise that can clog up a radar operator's screen. The AN/ALQ-131 pods, which are programmed by a Florida-based team of U.S. Air Force specialists, can 'give you a pocket of air superiority for a moment's time to achieve an objective that has strategic importance and impact,' a USAF official explained. Ukrainian F-16s also have the option of carrying Pylon Integrated Dispensing System and the Electronic Combat Integrated Pylon Systems: PIDS and ECIPS. PIDS ejects metal chaff and hot-burning flares to spoof incoming radar- and infrared-guided anti-aircraft missiles. ECIPS houses passive defenses to complement the active chaff and flares, including the AN/ALQ-162 jammer for defeating radars on the ground, as well as an AN/AAR-60 missile warning system for triggering the passive defenses. Self-protection pylons on a Ukrainian F-16. The warning system connects to an electronic warfare management system, made by Terma in Denmark, that itself connects to a display inside the cockpit that shows the pilot where enemy radars are in relation to their aircraft. If Ukrainian F-16 pilots are flying electronic reconnaissance missions, they're probably leaning heavily on the Terma management system. This is a new and critical capability for Ukraine. The Ukrainian air force's older, ex-Soviet fighters—its Mikoyan MiG-29s and Sukhoi Su-27s—don't even carry jammers, to say nothing of taking to the air with integrated self-defense systems that can double as reconnaissance systems. The sequence of sorties is simple, if the unnamed F-16 pilot's explanation is accurate. F-16s fly recon missions, pinpoint Russian radars based on their emissions and then land so intelligence analysts can fold the fresh intelligence into strike planning. 'When all this is summed up, we plan flights for further action to defeat the enemy,' the pilot said. When the rearmed F-16s head back out, perhaps aiming to fling a glide bomb through some unfortunate Russian's window, their pilots know where to go, and not to go, to avoid Russian air defenses.
