ADD FULL INTRODUCTION
MEDICAL SYSTEM
IN THE PHILIPPINES TODAY
An opinion statement from MED-Action
It is understandable that Philippines still has a lot of rooms to improve and develop as the country is still in the developing stage. There are a lot of things that cannot be overlooked by the government like security, laws, education, poverty, agriculture, and many more. These are all part of being an independent country and because of these, there are possibilities that the people who are ruling the country will have to choose what to prioritize first according to the public’s needs. MED-Action is focusing on the medical system of the Philippines.
There is no denying the fact that a lot of diseases have scattered around the world. There are a lot of no-cure viruses and cancers. There are outbreaks of diseases every now and then. And admit it or not, there are still more deep inside the world that can cause illness to humans. But the question is, are we ready to face these possibilities?
It is visible that the Philippines’ medical system has improved for the past years and still having its developments. There are a lot of hospitals that have been established to fulfill the medical needs of the public. But still, there are Filipinos who are unsatisfied with the system.
Medical services in urban and rural areas have great differences. In terms and facilities, medicines, and manpower, rural areas need more. There are places which are so far from a small clinic. Sometimes, the nearest clinics do not have the medicine or treatment that are needed. There are,
also, people who prefer quackery than professional treatments because of the location of those who offer professional medical services, with addition of the high price fee where people cannot afford.
It is true that the country do have public hospitals but there are still circumstances where people still cannot decide whether it is better to go to a public hospital or use quackery. Public hospitals lack of manpower and equipment. An example is the town of Maddela in Quirino Province where a concern citizen wrote a blog, or post, in MRIC Global last February, year 2018 where he claimed that the town is suffering in a shortage of hospitals and health workers. Also, in an article featured in The Manila Times entitled “At a glance: The Philippine health care system” that was posted last April 2018, Philippines still have the need to improve in terms of health.
These simple opinions from Filipinos proof that Philippines still lack in many ways. Somehow, these problems are mostly the reasons why most of our workers choose to serve the other countries than our own. People said that they can earn more when they go abroad and work there than here. Most of them also claimed that there are more and better opportunities out of the country.
MED-Action thinks that improving the system itself will make Filipino workers want to serve Philippines and would not think of going abroad just to make profit or income. Leading a group is not easy. Think about how hard it is to lead a country with a lot of citizens who are expecting the leaders to do something. In a group, members should also work and not just the leaders or else, the group will fall. And this is what WE NEED TO DO.
