Without the White Coat
Staying as doctors
Starting tomorrow November 18 to 19, 2005 PAGPI (Philippine Association of Government Physicians, Inc.) will hold its first annual national convention with the theme 'Nurturing Government Physician Practice in the Philippines'. Can that prevent our doctors from leaving the country then work in the States as nurses?, With the currency rate at 55 pesos to one dollar doctors normally would ask themselves this question: are we surviving as doctors in the Philippines? Statistics show that in the past three years 25 hospitals had already closed down due to lack of health personnel to man it. There are 2,000 or so doctors enrolled in nursing in our region. In the reality front there is a decrease of 70 to 80 % in the enrollment in our medical schools and with a national ratio of doctor to patient at 1:30,000. Looking at this figures will really struck you in the head. Will there be a collapse in the health care system of the country? Just remember that by 2010 there will be a serious and severe shortage of nurses in the US, and with the path the economy is taking it is now better to send your children to nursing schools than to medical school. Practical?. For our children's survival, they should deserve a better future, they may be patriotic, but they also have to feed their families. Being hit hard by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and also the EVAT, so where are doctors heading to? With these situation I could also see the disappearance of medical missions. It may be a Christian way of sharing, but if we as doctors are being bombarded in all fronts then some would think of packing up their bags and search for the greener pastures in the US of A.
Again the bottom line is the color of the green buck, we may want to serve our country's ill and sick population, but as doctors we have to survive too, not in turn of brand new cars, but on things like sending our children to school just like ordinary folks, some doctors will always end up doing free services, for our 'lucky' colleagues in the medical practice that keep on charging their patients an arm and leg for services rendered for their newly acquired vehicles, GOD BLESS.
As of now their's still no concrete solutions to the 'brain-drain' (MD-BSN) of doctors from this country, it may take time, but as soon as we get up or wake up from that deep sleep our colleagues in the medical field are now gone. So a word or two, now is the time to make things work, but with a bronco-riding economy and political situation it seems that doctors can never offer a good solution, or we are just part of the bigger problem? After medical school and residency training then what? nursing school? Our government doctors that emulate the true meaning of Public Health, that primary care givers of health, the basic unit of medical care will also be exhausted in trying to make both ends meet, with low salary and opportunities to advance themselves. (So how do we look up on our government doctors? A 9 to 5 job? Or is there something wrong with our health care system? Not enough funding?)
2010 is just 5 years from now, hopefully we can face the total impact to our health care system, a time we won't hear or see the 'barrio doctor' anymore, and with the increasing mentality of the younger physicians getting into specialties, so who's gonna take care of the sick population of the Philippines, who will man the primary health units? I know I will still be around. The newer challenges that face the new Secretary of Health is on how he'll keep this doctors here and let them serve their communities. The Filipino Physician has now become a second class citizen among this specialized world of medical practice, being curtailed on the practice of their craft, they are not even allowed to perform some minor procedures like circumcision in the operating room, is this where the practice of medicine going to? Low pay, lack of opportunity, poor hospital facilities and lack of support from the higher ups, no professional advancement are just areas or reasons that demoralize the government physicians. Dissatisfaction may it be on salary basis can be blamed why some doctors leave this country. Is there any better job out there? (Please spare one for me). So if we stay there is no guarantee that our lives as doctors will improve.