EDITORIAL – Critical

After European investors lamented the exodus of skilled professionals, it is now the turn of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to issue a warning about the dire consequences of losing the nation’s workers. The health care system, Duque said, is in a “critical” state and a “collapse” in health care services is possible.

With 85 percent of the country’s health professionals now overseas, only one government doctor is available for every 28,000 Filipinos, Duque said during awarding ceremonies for The Outstanding Filipino Physician. The award is an attempt to encourage health professionals to remain in their own land by giving public recognition to exemplary and dedicated doctors. The award is laudable, but it will take so much more than recognition to stop doctors from leaving, many of them to work as nurses overseas.

The problem is complicated by the decline in the number of medical school graduates who pass the board examinations, according to Duque. Among those who pass, many prefer to work in hospitals in Metro Manila where salary rates are higher. The result: health care is becoming a luxury beyond the reach of the majority of Filipinos. Even those who can afford proper health care are feeling the crisis. In top hospitals in Metro Manila, there are long waits for consultations, laboratory testing and other medical procedures, mainly due to the lack of doctors and other health workers.

All over the world there is a growing demand for health professionals. Rich countries can import the workers needed to keep their hospitals open and provide public health care. Developing countries like the Philippines cannot replace the health professionals who leave for better-paying jobs overseas. Unable to offer better alternatives, governments cannot stop the exodus.

The nation can appeal to the sense of  service that has long been associated with the medical profession to persuade health professionals to remain in their own country. But medicine, nursing and other related courses do not come cheap, and at some point in their careers, health professionals will want a good return on their investment. There are no easy responses to this crisis. But all concerned sectors must confront the challenge and move to prevent the collapse of health services.