Docs dare bets: Solve country’s health woes

FILIPINO doctors on Tuesday challenged presidential contenders to address the top three problems of the country’s health care system: inequalities between rich and poor, shortage of health workers and fragmentation of health programs.

“We cannot solve these if we don’t recognize that these are the basic problems in our health care system,” Dr. Antonio Dans, president of the Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine, said in a forum.

Dans cited 2013 records showing that 58 percent of births in poor areas were unattended by a doctor compared to 4 percent in the richest area.

In the same year, Metro Manila scored the highest rate of complete vaccination at 79.5 percent while poorer regions, like the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, only achieved 29.4 percent.

Lack of medical attention

Dans also said that despite wider government insurance coverage, 66 percent of Filipinos still died without medical attention. Data showed the richest area registered 88 percent utilization of the benefits of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), the poorest only 33 percent.

“Many in greater need of medical assistance have no access to services offered through PhilHealth,” he said.

Dr. Minerva Calimag, president of the Philippine Medical Association, urged   presidential candidates to propose  solutions to the lopsided distribution of skilled health workers, especially in rural areas.

Figures show that while the target number of doctors in the public sector is 63,000, only 3,000 are serving in government-run health facilities. There is a 30,000 surplus of doctors in the private sector, said Calimag.

The government also needs 121,000 nurses to improve the 5,000 workforce in public hospitals nationwide, she said.  “The current ratio of doctor to patients is 1:40,000,” she said.