The Bigger Picture: A Critique Paper on Philippine Health Services
This paper is written concerning the delivery of health care services in the Philippines. This takes a closer look
at the bigger picture of health system and tackles the negative and positive aspects of the health care system of
the aforementioned country.
Hospitals play vital roles in maintaining and replenishing the health of the people with the assistance of
doctors, nurses, midwives, medical technologists, and other health care professionals as the pioneering
individuals to make this happen. On the other hand, the Philippines has a poor delivery of health care services
especially in public hospitals. The reasons are, (1) public hospitals lack medical equipment which would be a
great help in treating people who are incapable of monetary obligations in private hospitals. These equipment
must be present in every local hospital in order to avoid being referred to another hospital particularly in life
and death situations. In addition, lack of equipment considering the insufficient budget that the government has
allocated. The Department of Health has only received P193. 89 billion despite outcries from health care
professionals.
"There was just a small increase in the budget for health despite the strong calls of the public, including
doctors, nurses, and other frontline health workers…. The health budget at P193.89 billion is too small, while
the military and the police get overflowing funds with the budget of the AFP (P213.78 billion) and the PNP
(P190.69 billion)." said by Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas on Rappler.
Secondly, the Philippines has efficient health workers and is globally competitive in relevance to their
expertise and commendable English language communication skills. This has been the advantage of why
Filipino nurses and doctors chose to work abroad instead of staying here in the Philippines. Opportunities
outside the country are way better than the offered salary on our own. Of course, health workers would rather
choose green pastures than stay here overworked but underpaid. Because of this, public hospitals are in need of
manpower and often the root cause of the slow process inside the hospital. "Nurses from the Philippines are a
familiar sight in hospitals in Singapore. In fact, the Philippines is the world’s top source of nurses; nearly two
in five of those who pass their nursing examinations are estimated to eventually go abroad.But it also has the
lowest number of nurses per capita in Southeast Asia, a shortage that — as the programme Undercover Asia
explores — exposes a system that underpays, overworked and under-protects its nurses." (Lianne Chia, Anna
Tolentino, 2021)
Furthermore, because of the lack of health workers, the waiting time is taking longer than usual and as painful
as it could be, we have to burst out in anger and shout at them for us to be entertained. This painful reality is
too much for a country who has the capability of sending competent doctors and nurses abroad yet unable to
give them the rightful salary and commendable services to the countrymen.
The third on the list, public hospitals have limited numbers of rooms to be occupied. The deficient facilities is
one of the factors why the waiting process has been a dilemma to the patient and could be the reason of death
like what happened during the surge of COVID-19. Private and public hospitals ran out of rooms to be
occupied by the patients which others have to be treated outside the establishment.
"Inside the Philippine General Hospital, the country's largest, a gurney bearing a man rattles out of the ER
headed for the COVID ward. He's one of the lucky ones. Outside, scores of sick Filipinos queue on benches
stretching all the way down the long Manila block. Across the street beneath a metal canopy, hospital staff
triage the throng waiting for care. Inside, chirping monitors fill an intensive care unit. Resident Dr. Andrew
Villafuerte recorded the sounds in the off-limits ICU where nurses assist intubated patients…" (Julie Mccarthy,
Byline, October 2021)
Even before this communicable disease was recognized, the Philippines had this problem that needed to be
addressed. Even so the internal parasite of government agencies' unexplainable misused and abused spending
of budget. Up to this day, the P15 billion of PhilHealth is nowhere to be found.
Another topic to tackle is the failure of giving the customer care from the professionals in public hospitals
where nurses approach the patients with less concern and would yell at them in giving directions. Next to that
is the unavailability of medicines in pharmacies and if it is available, prices are at high strike.
On the other hand, the Philippine government has this program of public healthcare administered by
PhilHealth, a government-owned corporation. PhilHealth settles the hospital bills of Filipinos, local citizens
and legal residents are being catered by this. PhilHealth has been a great assistance to every Filipino who has
nothing in their pockets and helpful in providing health insurance and health care services. Moreover,
Universal Health Care Act no. 11223 of 2019 has immensely affected the financial obligations of Filipinos in
settling hospital bills. Under this act, the Filipinos are automatically under the protection of DOH and
PhilHealth agencies. In addition, the Malasakit Center has been signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, another
program that would assist indigent patients with their financial and medical procedures with the help of
government agencies namely, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, PhilHealth, and Department of
Social Welfare and Development. This program has established 74 Makasakit Centers nationwide. The
aforementioned programs are promising the Filipinos to worry less in terms of monetary obligations.
Universal Health Care is reaching the health of residents in remote areas through providing healthcare services
in regional, provincial, municipal, and barangay health centers. These centers are assisting the residents by
giving free medical consultations, medicines and vitamins, and vaccines. Senior citizens also have discounts in
their maintenance medicines when purchasing in the pharmacies under the effectiveness of RA 9994. Lastly,
there are also foundations that conduct medical missions like free consultation, eye check-up, dental care, and
circumcisions.
The Philippine government has its way to lessen the worries and burden of Filipinos when faced with medical
obligations. It would be great if the negative aspects in the first page would be addressed by the next
administration. We can only hope to get these programs better and would create additional health care services
that can be a benefit to every Juan, health professionals, and the country itself to progress its 120th rank out of
195 countries in terms of health care system.
References:
https://doh.gov.ph/doh-press-release/prrd-signs-malasakit-center-act
https://www.rappler.com/nation/congress-approved-2022-budget-december-2021/#:~:text=Senate%20finance
%20committee%20chair%20Sonny,retirement%20and%20life%20insurance%20premiums.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256821
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cnainsider/underpaid-overworked-philippines-nurses-hospitals-shortage-
covid-1882796
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/02/1042667352/hospitals-in-the-philippines-struggle-under-influx-of-covid-19-
patients
