Countless are dying because of flawed health care system

Thank God, public interest in the existing hospital system, described by some concerned people as "decaying" -- is surfacing. For instance, as a result of my writeup on the "decay in the hospital system", a man named Gene said he was so disgusted to read about the "greed and incompetence" of so-called prestigious hospitals. "I hope this rotten hospital system will be exposed further by media so that something can be done by the government," he said. Gene added that his heart bleeds for the Filipino people, especially the poor, who are deprived of a decent health care system.

From faraway America, in the state of California, Manuel D. Diaz says that a law in the Philippines is needed, mandating that emergency cases be attended to by hospitals, without asking for the financial capability of the patient. In California, he said, hospitals are required by law to minister to emergency victims, without asking anything about financial data. If the victim has no medical insurance, the hospital will charge all expenses to Medicare. Diaz adds that there is another American law that allots money to hospitals, to cover emergency cases involving patients who cannot afford to pay the hospital bills. Can't the same be done in the Philippines? he asked.

On the other hand, Dr. Fe del Mundo, founder and president of the National Children's Medical Center, one of the hospitals adverted to in the case of baby Zion, also reacted, expressing dismay over my writeup. "I have appreciated your articles and even quoted you on a number of occasions. I am sorry your remarks were contrary to our expectations," she said. Apparently, Dr. Del Mundo has the perception that I was making my own remarks, overlooking that I was merely conveying the message of aggrieved family member Dinna Gamboa-De Guzman.

Anyway, according to Dr. Del Mundo, my article gave her hospital a "very unfavorable rating." She surmised I was unaware of the fact that "all the transactions of this case were done by telephone in which we always find confusing, many times incorrect and misleading."

But here is a puzzler, right from the very lips of Dr. Del Mundo. She said that "a policy of our hospital is not to allow transfer to and away from us very sick children until they are stabilized to avoid the risk of worsening or even losing them in transit." She further said that "Banawe is notoriously a most difficult street with all its shops and double parking cars. "Thus, she said, people should think twice before transferring sick patients there. What I surmise from this statement is that it is not advisable to bring the sick to her hospital in Banawe. Right?

Dr. Ronald Dionisio, a former resident physician, sent some comments on the existing hospital system:

* Doctors have nothing at all to do with the admission of patients into hospitals. The administrators enact the policies.

* Doctors are tied down by the bad bureaucracy of the administrators.

* The government should formulate clearcut policies on admissions and transfers of patients. And these policies should be followed, regardless of the financial capability of the patients.

* Networking among tertiary care hospitals should be strengthened.

* The resident physicians, most often underpaid, are usually victims of abuse by the hospital administration.

Last April 24, the City of Tagaytay, under the leadership of Mayor Francis N. Tolentino, launched a unique, first-ever project in the entire country: a City of Character Program. Its goal is to combat a different kind of poverty: moral poverty.

The detailed plan of action is for Tagaytay City to adopt a different character trait each month. This trait will be highlighted in all schools, at City Hall, in churches, business establishments and, eventually, in all homes in Tagaytay. "This program is not short-term, but life-long," said Tolentino, adding that the program is designed to strengthen the Filipino people's national character.

This is how the program is envisioned by Tolentino: "A City of Character is in which the elected officials, community leaders, and citizens-at-large recognize the importance of good character. Everyone works together to ensure that families are strong, homes and streets are safe, education is effective, business is productive, neighbors care about one another, and citizens are free to make wise choices for their lives and families. In a City of Character, undisciplined living is socially unacceptable, and an emphasis is placed upon an individual's responsibility for his or her words, actions, and attitudes. Most importantly, a City of Character has leaders who are models of the character they advocate for its citizens."

The monthly character qualities being propagated at Tagaytay City are Truthfulness for January, Patience for February; Gratefulness for March; Forgiveness for April; Responsibility for May; Dependability for June; Cleanliness for July; Hardwork for August; Discipline for September; Initiative for October; Humility for November, and Generosity for December. Noteworthy is that each trait has a Biblical anchor.

PULSEBEAT: There is a newly-opened restaurant, Spaghetti Haus, in front of Don Bosco in Pasay Road, at Sunvar Plaza, just across Makati Cinema Square. This dining place offers what seems to be the finest coffee blend in the archipelago, the "STAR FAB Coffee." The letters FAB stand for Flavor, Aroma, and Body. And the coffee ingredients are Robusta and imported Arabica, plus Brazilian black coffee. By the way, the people behind Spaghetti Haus are youngsters Miguel Cornejo III, Christopher Bong Cornejo, and Gabby Cornejo... Nearly 400 million hectares of transgenic crops were grown worldwide in 1999. Of the 40 different transgenic crops, the largest acreages were planted to cotton, corn, soybean and rapeseed. Transgenic crops are those grown from seeds that contain the genes of different species. Examples are wheat bread, which is the result of the hybridization of three different plant genomes, and maize.

Art A. Borjal's e-mail address: <[email protected]>