One of 2 Filipinos dies without getting access to health care

One of every two Filipinos afflicted with a life-threatening disease will die without getting a chance to be examined by a medical professional.

Poverty can easily be blamed for this, but another reason is the continuous migration of health workers abroad in search of better pay.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, only 50 percent of the total Philippine population of more than 84 million have access to health care. This despite government efforts to provide health care services to every Filipino.

The WHO report was disclosed during a health forum at the Ateneo Professional Schools auditorium at Rockwell, Makati City yesterday.

WHO regional adviser Dr. Ezekiel Nukuro agreed that the loss of skilled Filipino workers, particularly health professionals, places the country’s health services in a looming crisis.

"Philippine health care services are on the verge of collapse," warned Nukuro, who was among the forum speakers.

Fernando Sanchez Jr., executive director of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges, stressed the need to act swiftly and address this problem of mass migration.

The increasing demand of health workers over the years has prompted graduates of courses related to medical science to leave the country in search of greener pastures abroad.

At the present, the United States is the most attractive destination for health professionals.

Sanchez said the US offers the best working conditions by offering foreign medical practitioners and their families migrant visas and salaries higher than what they receive in the country.

Human Resource for Health (HRH) researcher Dr. Fely Marilyn Lorenzo said countries hiring Filipino workers actually demand more nurses, followed by doctors and midwives.

This and the difficulty in acquiring a medical license to practice medicine abroad are factors that push medical doctors to shift to nursing, Lorenzo said.

Other Asian countries also face the problem of migrating health workers.

Expressing alarm over the exodus of Asian health workers to developed countries, the WHO blamed "decades of cost-cutting and under-investment in health" that have resulted in poor working conditions for many of them.

The WHO warned that the Philippines and other countries in Asia and the Pacific must give health workers a "fairer deal" or else some health systems in the region might collapse.

"It is high time health workers were paid decent salaries, and provided with the right working conditions and the right equipment to do the work they are trained to do," said WHO regional director for Western Pacific Dr. Shigeru Omi.

Omi noted that governments must act now and implement a better deal for health workers.

At present, Omi said health care systems are already being strained by traditional and modern-day lifestyle diseases, emerging diseases and aging population.

And while efforts are being made to address this, the WHO official stressed long-standing issues affecting health workers must be addressed because they would affect the well-being of the people and of future generations.

"Without the devotion of health workers, public health services in Asia will be in crisis and will not be able to cope with the ever-growing burden of diseases," Omi added.

Aside from coming up with strategic national plans, the WHO also recommended that investment be made in "preparing the workforce through strengthened education and training."

Omi said that local and national innovations should be scaled up such as health insurance, remote area allowances and subsidized mortgages.

"Health workers are among the unsung heroes of our time. They work long hours in difficult conditions, often with little reward and sometimes at risk to their own health," he said.

Geneva-based HRH department director Dr. Manuel Dayrit, who is former Philippine health secretary, expressed belief that education, labor and finance sectors in the country must come together to fight the brain drain brought about by the flight of Filipino workers to other countries.

In a message delivered through videoconferencing during the health forum, Dayrit noted the Philippines has high employment opportunities for medical practitioners, citing many vacancies in rural areas. But at the same time, he acknowledged that Filipino health professionals prefer better working environments and higher pay. — Michael Punongbayan, Sheila Crisostomo