The Philippine Healthcare Scene: In Dire Need Of An Overhaul

<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilosOu4B-te356obTBZtLsGXybn25QNva88N2P2OEJH3fAuRyh32FE5fWUMT29NhQ0Js3Bp0WlPIWjo3bwD2W6FxoLNZqnnCKhZrtFHxN3dnS7aVlE-hti7AcT3AMxbIEr1bblxUeZitQ/s1600/17410055_1472262206168069_294430048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilosOu4B-te356obTBZtLsGXybn25QNva88N2P2OEJH3fAuRyh32FE5fWUMT29NhQ0Js3Bp0WlPIWjo3bwD2W6FxoLNZqnnCKhZrtFHxN3dnS7aVlE-hti7AcT3AMxbIEr1bblxUeZitQ/s400/17410055_1472262206168069_294430048_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">With the advent of the Duterte Administration came a slew of changes. One of the more under-reported changes that this administration is working towards is the <b><a href="http://medicalobserverph.com/specialreport-why-the-philippine-healthcare-system-model-is-flawed/">overhaul of the Philippine Healthcare System</a></b>. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">In August 2016, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial <a href="http://www.doh.gov.ph/node/7369">traveled to the Republic of Cuba</a> to observe the country’s healthcare systems. In that trip, the DOH Secretary made these <a href="http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/09/06/doh-cuba-health-care-system.html">key observations</a>:</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Prioritize the accessibility of doctors.</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> In Cuba, there is one doctor per 1,075 citizens. The Philippines’ doctors, by contrast, serve 33,000 patients per doctor. This is why the goal of the DOH is to raise 35,000 doctors more, in order to serve between 2,000 to 5,000 patients. [</span><a href="http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/580192/lifestyle/healthandwellness/phl-needs-p57b-and-35-000-doctors-to-copy-cuba-s-healthcare-system-doh-chief-says" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Statistics Source</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">]</span></span><br /> <br /> <div style="text-indent: -24px;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Prioritize mental healthcare.</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Cuba has </span><a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/145914-philippines-learn-cuba-health-services" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">an existing outpatient service for mental health patients</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">. The Philippines, on the other hand, doesn’t even have a mental health law.</span></span><br /> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">    Prioritize healthcare as a government expense.</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> The Health Secretary noted that </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Cuba allocated</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> 28% of their national budget to healthcare, translating to $460 per capita. On the other hand, the Philippines spends only $76 per capita.  [</span><a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/145914-philippines-learn-cuba-health-services" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Statistics Source</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">]</span></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> </div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> <!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">   </span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://today.mims.com/topic/mental-health-in-the-philippines--by-the-numbers"><b>The sadder statistics:</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> <!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">  </span></span><!--[endif]-->The Philippines has 1 in 5 or 20% of the whole population suffering from mental health issues. In a population of 100 million, this translates to 20 million mentally ill patients. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> <!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">  </span></span><!--[endif]-->The Philippines has only 700 doctors serving the 20 million population of mentally ill patients. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Aside from these dire priorities of the health care system in the Philippines, there is another issue that begs to be addressed: That of the urgent need for an electronic medical record system to be rolled out across hospitals and clinics. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Retired pediatrician Dr. Leonardo Leonidas wrote of a story about how a nurse from Maine, USA visited his pediatrician’s office in 1994. The nurse rated his office at 92.3%, no doubt, a higher rating against the 89.5% average of the rest of the pediatricians in Maine. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Dr. Leonidas pointed out that one of the keys that ensured the efficiency of the inspection of his office included the presence of an EMR system. <a href="http://opinion.inquirer.net/80860/electronic-medical-records-urgently-required">He also outlined how the DOH can effectively implement the EMR system in the Philippines</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Truth be told, given the dire situation of healthcare in the country, going digital or electronic may seem to be a less urgent priority, as opposed to first improving the patient-to-doctor ratio. In fact, the DOH has been looking to prioritize <a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/138572-new-doh-secretary-induction">the completion of the Universal Health Insurance</a>, “especially for the poor” first and foremost, then the next top priority is to <a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/145333-ubial-cuba-health-system-doctors-needed">increase healthcare accessibility on the barangay level</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Given these priorities for the government, a couple of questions beg to be asked: Where does the government integrate the need to keep accurate records of patient care? When does the government aim to ensure that there is data being gathered, in order to determine the next steps in patient and health care improvement?</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size: large;">These are burning questions that need to be addressed. Meanwhile, since the Philippines has a very strong private healthcare sector, one big way that doctors can contribute to nation-building is to ensure that their own patients’ medical records are accurately kept. This way, epidemiological data from the private healthcare sector will be able to contribute to the country’s larger body of healthcare data. And this pooled data, from private and government sectors alike, shall accurately guide and shape ongoing and future healthcare policies. </span><o:p></o:p></div> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=5544835517721897626&postID=3341521348434219844&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9Bov-5jxblscorzGCopVL5Xz68i6dvP9jIudFNjEHqR8MMdmVfysddhDjGUhuvlerb67aHnfQDJEUeUQZ5kjo_Wx4ig1t1Up2WOpNkMj-NaNLwPtxqdA3ez_SOd-1IwiRZWwI2BCbpA/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=780060284859147958&postID=&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMggqAn9B6n_ue3iBOqDQgfJmfpRxWvLyKJRt7IFP17wasPqRAsizTNNHpZHUKMuDMZm5A4duwa4m0IFs-cBh79J03YQVVToXxjf2LZ6qNn4CyLwa8Wy-c4jj2UC8QFH081Ja_q0iaXdM/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> --------------------------------------------<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>Photo Inspiration Credits: </b><a href="http://medicalobserverph.com/specialreport-why-the-philippine-healthcare-system-model-is-flawed/" target="_blank">Medical Observer</a></div> </div>

DOH healthcare policies healthcare statistics Philippine Healthcare Philippine Healthcare system problems in the Philippine healthcare system statistics The Philippine Healthcare Scene: In Dire Need Of An Overhaul

With the advent of the Duterte Administration came a slew of changes. One of the more under-reported changes that this administrati...

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