MALAS AT SAKIT, IMBIS NA MALASAKIT
APRIL 4, 2020
League of Filipino Students Metro Baguio
Low govt priority to health impairs capacity to deal
with nCoV
(https://www.ibon.org/low-govt-priority-to-health-
impairs-capacity-to-deal-with-
ncov/?fbclid=IwAR1BLHp053ZUqfVb8bnDiWWGqCjrLta
Sa31wdYIviAlkHrjGqYDlNbSqxHE)
The decreasing share for health in the national
government budget shows the low priority given to this,
said research group IBON. This affects the country’s
ability to address public health challenges such as the
novel coronavirus (nCoV), the group said.
IBON said that while the allocation for the health sector
in the national budget increased from Php177.7 billion
in 2019 to Php185.5 billion in 2020, its overall share in
the national budget fell from 4.85% to 4.52 percent.
Most of the small Php7.8 billion or 4.4% increase is even
eaten up by inflation.
However, the amount allocated for the Epidemiology
and Surveillance Program which monitors, investigates
and analyzes disease outbreaks was cut by more than
half, said the group. This decreased by Php147.4 million
from Php262.9 million in 2019 to Php115.5 million in
2020.
IBON also noted that the budget for the health
department’s Health Systems Strengthening Program
was cut by Php6.6 billion from Php25.9 billion to
Php19.3 billion. This program is for ensuring a wide
range of human health resources including doctors,
nurses, midwives, dentists, allied health professions,
community health workers, social health workers and
other health care providers and management and
support personnel.
The country’s latest doctor-to-patient ratio remains too
low at 0.3 per 10,000. This is far below the World Health
Organization’s (WHO) recommended ratio of 1-1.5
doctors per 1,000 population, said IBON.
Doctor shortage in the Philippines: An analysis
(https://today.mims.com/doctor-shortage-in-the-
philippines--an-analysis)
Offsetting medical school expenses
Compensation is a big issue among doctors. And
understandably so. There are only five public medical
schools in the country, and tuition is merely subsidised,
not fully shouldered by the government (unlike in Cuba
where medical education is free). Private medical
schools cost at least three times as much as
government-funded institutions.
Comfortable, not rich
On the other hand, salaries are never enough for many
Filipino doctors because the country is profit-oriented,
according to Marikina City Vice Mayor Jose Fabian
Cadiz, who is a doctor by profession.
The Philippine health system, Dr. Cadiz pointed out, is
very privatized. So, the expectations are doctors should
be making a lot of money. In fact, it is this mentality
that pervades in provinces so people think all doctors
are, or should be, wealthy.
Salary realities
Unfortunately, that is not always the case for physicians
either working in public or private hospitals. Medical
staff [residents] employed by hospitals are not
necessarily paid big salaries. Government doctors are
fighting to get more than the 30,000 peso average
salary they receive.
While doctors in public hospitals may earn more than
their counterparts in private health institutions, they do
take on more work. On the other hand, if a physician
serves as a consultant at a private hospital and holds
clinic there regularly, he charges on a per patient basis
and can dictate how much he earns.
The inequity in the setup is a government doctor may
be paid higher than private medical staff but his salary
will not increase even if he sees 50 or more patients in a
day.
A medical consultant, meanwhile, can hold clinic 3 to 4
hours a day, three times a week and make so much
more, especially if he is in-demand as a physician or
specialist. He also has the option of holding clinic in
multiple locations further widening his patient base.
Concentrated medical pool
Another reason contributing to the doctor shortage is
the concentration of the medical pool. According to Dr.
Rosalind Vianzon, chief of the Department of Health’s
Intensified Disease Prevention and Control Division, the
pool of physicians is much too concentrated in urban
areas.
Most physicians want to set up practice in big cities, not
knowing the need and market in the countryside who
need healthcare services just as much.
In fact, former Health chief Dr. Enrique Ona refused to
call it a shortage of doctors saying there was only a
maldistribution. Majority of physicians, he noted, were
based in the National Capital Region and preferred to go
into private practice instead of community health.
Devolved service
Another stumbling block that leads to a lack of doctors
assigned in communities is the 1991 Local Government
Code. It is a law that mandates the devolution of
services, including health, to local government units
such as provinces, cities and municipalities.
However, the problem is usually LGUs saying they can’t
afford to absorb the physicians, yet. “What is puzzling,”
she added, “is if they see it as a need, why they don’t do
anything to take in these healthcare professionals.”
For those absorbed by LGUs, but not given permanent
or plantilla positions, they sometimes choose to not
continue for lack of security of tenure.
Salary cap
Finally, there is the matter of a salary cap for medical
personnel under the DOH deployment programmes. For
2017, close to 7,000 doctors, nurses and dentists under
the department’s grassroots manpower deployment
programme dubbed Rural Health Practice Program
(RHPP) will lose their jobs.
The ‘Bayanihan to Heal as One Act’ and what’s at
stake in the law
(https://www.interaksyon.com/politics-
issues/2020/03/26/164950/bayanihan-to-heal-as-one-
act-whats-at-stake-law/)
Under this new law, the Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation is instructed to shoulder all the medical
expenses of both private and public health workers in
case of COVID-19 exposure or any work-related disease
or injury during the duration of the quarantine.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian also said that among the new
law’s advantages is the fund that Duterte will be
granted additional budget which he can allot to fight
the virus. This can be used to procure medical
necessities such as face masks and testing kits.
He added that part of the budget will be allotted to
Filipino families affected by the enhanced community
quarantine in Luzon.
Sen. Ping Lacson, meanwhile, assured the public that
the new measure is compliant with the Constitution.
The Section 23, Article IV of the 1987 Constitution,
states that
“In times of war or other national emergency, the
Congress may, by law, authorize the President, for a
limited period and subject to such restrictions as it may
prescribe, to exercise powers necessary and proper to
carry out a declared national policy.”
One of the guidelines indicated that the presidential has
additional powers to:
All unutlized and unleased portions of the Special
Purspose Fund and all cash, funds and investments,
including utilized unreleased subsidies and transfers
held by Government-Owned and Controlled
Corporations. Another provision prohibiting spread of
false information on COVID-19 crisis on social media
and other platforms also raised concerns on limitation
of freedom of speech.
This provision indicated in Section 6 of the law was
added to the adopted bill last minute before it was
submitted to Duterte.
It states that “individuals or groups creating,
perpetuating, or spreading false information regarding
the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other
platforms, such information having no valid or
beneficial effect on the population, and are clearly
geared to promote chaos, panic, anarchy, fear, or
confusion” may be penalized.
The law states that those who will violate this provision
may be punished by “imprisonment of two (2) months
or a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Pesos but not
more than One Million Pesos, or both such
imprisonment and fine, at the discretion of the court.”
Naming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the
virus that causes it
(https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-
coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-
coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-
causes-it)
6. https://www.bworldonline.com/water-firms-to-
apply-average-billing-during-lockdown/
7. https://news.abs-
cbn.com/business/04/02/20/how-meralco-will-
compute-electricity-bills-during-coronavirus-
lockdown
8. https://news.abs-
cbn.com/news/03/20/20/metro-manila-water-
supply-enough-amid-month-long-luzon-
lockdown-nwrb
9. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/c
ompanies/730729/maynilad-suspends-meter-
reading-due-to-luzon-quarantine/story/
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpoJGYl
W54

What name does WHO use for the virus?

From a risk communications perspective, using the
name SARS can have unintended consequences in terms
of creating unnecessary fear for some populations,
especially in Asia which was worst affected by the SARS
outbreak in 2003.

For that reason and others, WHO has begun referring to

the virus as “the virus responsible for COVID-19” or “the
COVID-19 virus” when communicating with the public.
Neither of these designations are intended as
replacements for the official name of the virus as
agreed by the ICTV.

Material published before the virus was officially named

will not be updated unless necessary in order to avoid
confusion.

OTHER LINKS/REFERENCES:

1. https://news.abs-
cbn.com/news/02/22/19/kakulangan-sa-
nurses-hamon-sa-universal-health-care-doh
2. https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/4
/3/coronavirus-mass-testing-philippines.html
3. https://www.rappler.com/nation/256929-up-
developed-coronavirus-testing-kits-ready-mass-
use-starting-april-4-2020
4. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1253678/mass-
testing-on-april-14-but-who-to-test-is-unclear
5. https://news.abs-
cbn.com/business/03/31/20/meralco-says-to-
keep-lights-on-during-coronavirus-lockdown