Press Release
February 21, 2009

Lack of health care for the poor an 'injustice' -- Loren

Senator Loren Legardalamented yesterday what she described as the disproportionate distribution of human health resources, in which poor Filipinos are deprived access to health care and medical services.

In making the pronouncement, Loren cited data by the University of the Philippines (UP) National Institutes of Health that 70 percent of all health workers in the country are catering only to 30 percent of the population.

"This means that 7 out of every 10 health and medical workers are employed in the private sector, which in turn service only 3 of out 10 Filipinos or those who can afford to pay medical bills," Loren said.

The damning conclusion is that the government employs only 30 percent of all health workers to serve 70 percent of all Filipinos, the senator pointed out.

She said that the disproportionate distribution of health sector workers, who are especially lacking in rural areas, is an "injustice" that must be immediately addressed by the government.

"We need more doctors to the barrios who would serve poor Filipinos in far flung areas like what former senator and friend Dr. Juan Flavier had done for decades," said Loren.

"But first, government must start hiring more health workers at the barangay level, offer them competitive remuneration and decent medical facilities in rural areas," she added.

As chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Loren said that her committee are tackling a number of health bills, including her own Senate Bills 3060 (The Human Resources for Health Network Act of 2009) and 3057 entitled Medical Residency Act of 2009.

Loren said that the migration of highly skilled Filipino workers would continue to the detriment of the local health sector unless competitive remunerations to health workers are available in the Philippines.

"As it is, nurses even in the biggest hospitals in the country today get starvation pay, while working long hours daily without additional compensation for extra hours logged in," she lamented.

"No wonder they are leaving the country in alarming numbers," Loren said. "We must take care of our medical workers if they are to resist the temptation to go abroad."

She revealed that her committee is prioritizing the issue of compensation, along with SBN 1573 authored by Senator Bong Revilla giving mandatory health insurance coverage to barangay health workers, and SBN 2515 mandating the Department of Health to provide at least one worker for every barangay.

Loren said she is also supportive of initiatives to look into possible amendments to the Philippine Medical Act of 1959 (RA 2382), criticized for being outdated.

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