Beth Day Romulo

US and Philippine healthcare

By BETH DAY ROMULO
February 1, 2010, 5:35pm

The United States is the only developed country that does not have a national healthcare system yet the healthcare bill
which was introduced by the Obama administration is hung up in Congress. And the prospects of it passing do not look
good. The late Senator Ted Kennedy made healthcare a goal of his work in the Senate. But after his death, a Republican
was elected to fill his seat in Massachusetts with the result that the Democrats have lost their majority in the Senate and
Healthcare may once again be doomed to fail.
Here in the Philippines, delivery of healthcare to its citizens is a "fragmented system" according to former DoH chief, Dr.
Alberto Romualdez, with a "dysfunctional health workforce" which results in great disparity between healthcare for the
rich and poor. At a forum on the outlook for the Philippines Health in 2010, sponsored by the Zuellig Family Foundation
which concentrates its resources on specific programs to promote effective and sustainable healthcare systems, held on
January 19th at the AIM Conference center, speakers included two former DoH secretaries, Dr. Romualdez and Dr. Jaime
Galvez Tan, as well as the newly appointed DoH Secretary Esperanza Cabral. Representative Edcel Lagman, author of the
Reproductive Health and Population Development bill, which has yet to pass the Philippine congress, spoke on the
relation of the number of children in a family with their income level and quality of life, the link between high fertility and
poverty, and the fact that rapid population growth impedes human development.
Children from large families not only suffer from poor health Rep. Lagman pointed out, but their educational
opportunities are also limited. The presence of younger children in a household reduces the probability that older siblings
will be enrolled in school.
Dr. Leizel Lagrada, OIC of Health Policy at the DoH, made the point that enrollment coverage in Philhealth favors the
rich due to a weak policy of targeting poverty.
Two thirds of reimbursements made by Philhealth are to private hospitals that cater to the rich. Health facilities that are
accessible to the poor are often not accredited.
Dr. Thelma Tupasi, president of the Tropical Disease Foundation, and a specialist in infectious diseases, was able to point
out that despite the increase in poverty, there has been a significant decline in TB in the Philippines due to public private
mix by the DoH and community mobilization, and the introduction of the DOTS strategy, where patients are given
medication in the presence of healthworkers, to ensure the medication is taken regularly.
Dr. Suzette Lazo, professor of pharmacology at the UP School of medicine, pointed out that drug prices in the Philippines
are among the highest in the world a situation that increases the risk of poor Filipinos dying from curable diseases
because they cannot afford to buy medicine. Although cheaper generic drugs have been produced in the Philippines for
twenty years, Filipinos who can afford to buy medication, tend to prefer brand names.
Former DoH secretary Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan summed up what needs to be done. Healthcare financing is inadequate.
Health resources are market driven, and decoupled from actual needs, and unevenly distributed.
Health services are fragmented and inefficient. Health management information is rudimentary. The government must
enact and implement necessary reforms, with private sector support, for health care reform to succeed.
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/241429/us-and-philippine-healthcare


Health Care in the Philippines
by Jose Marc Castro on August 8, 2009
Thinking about living permanently in the Philippines? Before you finally make a final
decision as to living in the Philippines is right for you, there are a lot of factors that you need to be knowledgeable about,
and out of them is the health care in the Philippines.
Officially called as the Republic of the Philippines, this island nation is situated in Southeast Asian regions. Its capital is
Manila, and it has more than seven thousand islands, making the nation as the worlds twelfth most populous countries.
Most Filipinos are of Austronesian descent, although there are also some significant minorities of Arab, Spanish,
Americans and Chinese. The Philippines is home to the most hospitable people on earth, having been very popular
because of its hospitality to local and foreign tourist. This attitude is one of the many reasons why a lot of people are
thinking about relocating into this Southeast Asian country.
The Philippines has about 95,000 or about 1 per 800 people with about 1,700 hospitals where 60% are private totaling
85,000 beds. An expat in the Philippines shared how cheap it is in the Philippines in the Rest of the World Expat Forum
last August 7, 2009:
Health insurance , well, I have never had it since leaving my parents home at 18 and raised our daughter without a
family doctor. Hospital care is cheap here so we chose to keep U$10,000 ready for any type of medical emergency rather
than feed the insurance company money every year. You and many others may feel differently than us about that issue.
Im about ready to get my first executive check-up at 55 years old for 3 days on an out-patient basis for only P19000 (
300 quid ). So really cant advise oyou on that other than I just created a new Philippine Healthcare webpage where I
have included many choices with links for you to investigate on my website at: Health Care Philippines.
Health Issues in the Philippines
Like any other third-world country, the Philippines have been struggling in some health issues and one of it is illegal drug
use. A lot of Filipinos are addicted to prohibited drugs. However, the Philippine government has dealt with this issue and
although there are still some recorded incidents of drug abuse, the number of drug dependents in the Philippines has
gradually decreased.
One major health issue in the Philippines, is malnutrition. There have been studies conducted and accordingly, most of the
Filipinos that suffer from malnutrition are the poor ones. The Philippine government, thru the Department of Social
Welfare and Developments along with the Department of Health has provided projects to help poor Filipinos from
starvation. Other health issues in the Philippines are dengue cases, but then, these health concerns are only happening in
the rural area of the country. Most of these cases are properly attended to by the Philippine government.
Health Care in the Philippines
Although there have been recorded cases of drug dependency and malnutrition in the Philippines, you can still consider
the health care of this nation is of good quality, despite the fact that the facilities may not be as impressive as those found
in high-end US hospitals. Top Philippine hospitals include the Medical Center in Alabang, the Asian Hospital, the Makati
Medical Center, the Medical City in Ortigas, and St. Lukes Medical Center in Quezon City.
Medical practitioners in the Philippines are graduates from top universities in the country, and most of them have in
United States medical schools. Additionally, there are also doctors that have practiced medicine in the US before sharing
their expertise in the Philippines. Filipino nurses are also trained by nursing schools with the best standards. In fact, most
of the nurses working in the US are Filipinos.
If you are looking for a dentist or a doctor, it is better that you seek for the suggestions of expatriates that have been in the
Philippines for quite a number of years already. All in all, Medical care in the Philippines has improved and services
expanded, there are still issues to access and poverty that hamper the development of the system.
Hospitals in the Philippines
Finding the right hospital in the Philippines is not that difficult because there are a number of options to choose from. The
Philippines has both private and public health care institutions. Most of the government hospitals provide quality
healthcare the same way private hospitals do.
Some people have these wrong misconceptions though than when you are seeking for medical advice from doctors in
public hospitals, these are not reliable. However, you should be aware that most of the well-trained doctors in the
Philippines are serving government hospitals. What differs the Philippine government hospitals from the Philippine
private hospitals is simply the facilities. Most of the public hospitals in the Philippines are not equipped with the latest
technologies in medicine. But then, most Filipinos seek for advice from these government hospitals because charges are
not implemented.
As for the private hospitals, there are also a hundred ones located in key cities of the nation. There are also tertiary
hospitals that have the latest in medical technologies. However, because they are private hospitals, they are a bit expensive
than the government hospitals.
Emergency in the Philippines
The Philippines have stand by ambulances for any emergency situation. They also have a hotline number where on can
call in times of emergencies. Hospitals are also equipped with the latest in first aid treatments.
Pharmacies
There are also a thousand of pharmacies in the Philippines that provide Bureau of Food and Drug approved medicines.
Most of the standard pharmacies are manned with professionals that have studied and trained in top medical schools in the
country. Also, the Philippines is not that very lenient when it comes to prescription drugs. While there are some countries
that allow their patients to obtain drugs without being prescribed by their respective doctors, the Filipino pharmacists are
very strict in dealing with such situations.
Cost of Medicines and Hospitalizations
Generally, hospitals are not that expensive in the Philippines. Medicines as well are very affordable. Both locals and
foreigners can attest to the fact that medicines sold in the Philippines are very much affordable.
If you are thinking about relocating in the Philippines, one of your least worries should be health care. Since the health
care system in the Philippines is affordable, and the doctors are well trained, plus nurses can properly aid you, you really
never have to worry that much.
Additionally, unlike in some countries where most of the population does not speak English, in the Philippines, almost
ninety percent of their population can understand and speak English well. Communication is never a problem when you
are in the Philippines.
With the low cost of medicine and health care, living in the Philippines is really not a thing to worry. The people are very
hospitable and accommodating, the doctors and medical practitioners are friendly, and the place is really very inviting. If
you wish to settle down and relocate in the Philippines, have no doubt about it. In fact, a lot of people have already
relocated in the Philippines and so far, there have been no recorded negative incidents, as far as their health is concerned.

http://www.expatforum.com/articles/health/health-care-in-the-philippines.html

Top 3 health concerns: Poor air, alcohol, trauma
By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star) Updated October 12, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Health Secretary Enrique Ona cited three health concerns presently confronting the country in a
meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO)-Western Pacific Region Office.
Ona told the committee meeting of the WHO-Western Pacific in its regional office in Manila last Monday that the three
health concerns are poor air quality, alcohol and trauma.
These problems are not new and its indeed commendable that we are starting to recognize their significance in our effort
to promote public health, he noted.
The four-day WHO meeting discussed current health issues in the region like dengue, antimicrobial resistance, traditional
medicine, non-communicable diseases, health surveillance and budget, among others.
Health ministers and experts from the Western Pacific countries attended the meeting.
Ona said poor air quality has been the major cause of hospitalization and deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular
diseases.
A lot of factors contribute to poor air quality. Smoking is the primary source of poor air quality indoors while particulate
matter pollution emanating from the transport sector, from industries and factories are the major sources of poor outdoor
air quality, he added.
Ona also claimed that there has been a rise in alcohol use among Filipinos 15 to 19 years old.
The harmful use of alcohol results in a considerable proportion of crime, violence, injuries, deaths and a lot of problems
for health. We need to enjoin society and relevant sectors in reducing the access of minors to alcohol by supporting
pricing and sales restriction policies. Likewise, we need to continue promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyles among
the citizens, he added.
He also expressed concern over injuries and trauma in the country that have greatly increased over the decade to become
the top three to top four leading causes of death annually, among both adults and children in the country.
Transport related crashes, assault, accidental drowning and fall are the major recorded causes of deaths among all ages.
Pedestrians comprise more than 50 percent of all deaths, followed by motorcycle and pedal bike users, he said.
Dr. Shin Young-soo, WHO director for the Western Pacific, said that the region has made progress in the health area.
He claimed that nine of 10 countries with rampant malaria cases in the region have already formulated national
elimination plans.
Prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS have improved in most parts of our Region. And tuberculosis control programs
have been strengthened across the region, he added.
Shin cautioned that such gains could be reversed if the challenge of antimicrobial resistance is not tackled collectively.
He cited multi-drug resistance to the most effective anti-malaria drugs and to first- and second-line of tuberculosis
treatments.
We now need to turn political recognition into concrete action. This is particularly so in low-resource settings, where the
impact of this rising tide of non-communicable diseases is felt the hardest, he maintained.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=736474&publicationSubCategoryId=63