Without the White Coat
Occupational Medicine... Moving On
The successful three-day 9th midyear convention of the Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM)held in Iloilo City gathered the practitioners in Occupational Health and Safety from all over the Philippines.
Its theme was "Occupational Medicine: Leaping towards the New Millennium."
PCOM had never reached such proportions as a by-word in the field of medical practice.
The PMA (Philippine Medical Association) and Philhealth (Philippine Health Insurance) may have recognized the college for specializing in medicine, but there are still a lot of doctors who have not yet understood the practice of Occupational and Industrial Medicine. There are those trained in their field of expertise like Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, OB-GYNE and Surgery who do not know about Basic Occupational Safety and Health, yet still sit down as retainer physicians in companies.
Call centers, for one, will really need doctors of Occupational Safety and Health who can deal with problems faced by workers in this industry. The boom of other industries here creates a need for more of these doctors.
This is the only medical specialty that works with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Health (DOH). The practice does not only deal with daily consultations in the company clinic but also address issues in the workplace. Some of these are work environment monitoring, looking on physical agents like noise, temperature and chemicals and their effects on the workers' health. It also includes monitoring the community where the workplace is situated.
The company calls this its "corporate or social responsibility" --- the act of getting involved in the community's well-being. The company physician sees to it that the company will not produce ill-effects to the people living around it.
I think this is one aspect of Occupational Medicine that has not been addressed by our so-called "occupational health practitioners."
Never had any residency program in the Philippines lectured or trained resident doctors about Work Environment Monitoring, Hazards Assessment and Evaluation and the recognition of a work-related injury or illness. There are some who can't even define what "occupational disease" or "occupational medicine" is.
Also, I believe that employees have the right to demand that management implement the basic requirements of the Labor Code of the Philippines as regards Occupational Safety and Health.
This code is a guide on the responsibilities of employers.
They should ask, "Do we have a qualified and properly trained doctor in occupational safety and health?"
Hopefully, the Human Resource Department (HRD) of a company will address this.