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THE
country might benefit from the $12-billion annual
remittances of overseas Filipino workers (Ofws), but the
medical brain drain poses one of the most serious
threats to its people’s well-being.
This was
the dire warning of Health Undersecretary Mario
Villaverde, as he stood in for Health Secretary Dr.
Francisco Duque at Wednesday’s launch of the Bagong Puso,
Galing sa Puso medical scholarship program in Malacañang.
The
medical program to help indigent medical students was
started by the President’s husband, Jose Miguel “Mike”
Arroyo, when he marked his 60th birthday in 2006. After
two years, the program, sustained by the FG Foundation,
was able to help 62 medical students at a cost of P21
million.
In 2007
Mr. Arroyo went under the knife after suffering a heart
problem in Hong Kong that almost cost him his life. He
then pledged to help 82 more scholars next year.
“My only
message is for you to serve the people and the country.
You don’t have to give anything back to me or the FG
Foundation, but give back 100 percent of your service to
the country and for that we are all square,” Arroyo
said.
On the
other hand, Villaverde said the Department of Health (DOH)
“is addressing the biggest and most notorious disability
of our health system: the increasing lack of doctors and
highly-skilled health professionals against the backdrop
of persistent disease and poverty and the growing need
to improve the lives of 88 million Filipinos.”
He said
that the DOH had made it known to the public that the
health workers’ crisis is their top priority agenda.
“The
drain in our health system is simply enormous; our best
health workers are leaving in droves; doctors, even with
long-established practices as specialists and
consultants, are abandoning their posts to retrain as
nurses,” Villaverde said.
He added
that young Filipinos are no longer willing to study
medicine, as evidenced by the drop in medical enrollees
and the closure of some medical institutions.
“The
long-term impacts are difficult to comprehend and go
beyond issues on health. Millions of Filipinos are
affected. Sick patients are unattended and face the
consequence of either death or prolonged misery; and the
health system is severely handicapped, leading to
greater poverty for our people and permanently
curtailing our path towards economic development,”
Villaverde stressed.
However,
he said, the DOH is very fortunate that many parties
have devoted resources and attention to address this
problem in the last couple of years.
Apart
from other organizations and other sectors of society,
this year the DOH has implemented the Pinoy MD Program
in coordination with the PCSO and the Jaycees.
Villaverde reserved his highest praise for Mr. Arroyo,
who he said spent P21 million to finance the medical
scholarship of 62 medical students from the University
of the
Philippines
and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). The new
doctors, together with their parents and relatives, were
invited to join the launching at the Heroes Hall in
Malacañang.
The
program requires the newly-graduates doctors to serve
for two years in any province of their choice or take up
residency in any provincial hospitals, on the
recommendations of the DOH.
“I
certainly hope that this group of new and very young and
energetic doctors—our batch three of our Bagong Doktor
Para sa Bayan—will have the same heart and passion and
patriotism to serve the needs of our countrymen,”
Villaverde said.
He added
the hope that our medical scholars and our new
specialists, will step in to fill the large gap in
medical and public health leadership in the country
today.
“We
expect you in the coming years to become awardees in the
coming search of the most outstanding Filipino
physicians, as you find fulfillment in serving the needs
of our poor in the underserved areas. But before that,
we would also like to welcome you first to our Doctors
to the Barrios program and to our medical specialist
school program, after the nurturing you have received
from the First Gentleman.” |
