The Outstanding Filipino Physician

THE STATE OF MEDICAL PROFESSION

On February 27, 2006, four Philippine Senators namely Juan Flavier, Luisa Ejercito, Ramon Magsaysay Jr. and Pia Juliana Cayetano filed Senate Resolution 463 calling for a legislative inquiry on the state of the medical profession and the plight of Filipino doctors, even describing the country’s health as “in a state of near collapse.”

Consider the following:

• Over the years, the Philippines has become one of the biggest suppliers of healthcare workers in the world and in fact, per the record of the World Health Organization, the Philippines is the second largest exporter of physicians, next to India and the largest exporter of nursing services.
• The labor migration has never been more felt than now in these times of extreme poverty as Filipino doctors and health practitioners are left with no choice given the lack of opportunities in the country.
• The exodus of doctors in the last five (5) years for higher paying jobs overseas is resulting to the near collapse of the country’s health system as statistics would reveal that the ratio of doctor vis-a-vis the citizens in the country is 1:28,493 (1 doctor for every 28,493 Filipinos).
• Recent studies shows that seventy percent (70 %) of doctors are working abroad and almost eighty five percent (85 %) of the Philippines' health practitioners are already overseas.
• The continuing diaspora of Filipino doctors can be attributed to their low salaries (in the government, private sector, the entry level for a physician position is Php 17,069.00).
• Statistical records on the national percentage of passing in licensure examination for doctors show that there is declining professionalization from 69.15 in 1999 now down to 56.26 percent.

HEALTH IS WEALTH

Under Section 15, Article I1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, it provides that “the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.”

Among others, that fundamental law is complemented by the mandate that “the State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost. There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick elderly, disabled, women, and children. The State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers.”

In a jurisprudence, The Supreme Court, declared the significance of the medical profession as one “directly affecting the very lives of the people, unlike other careers which for this reason, do not require more vigilant regulation”

Thus, the State has the ultimate responsibility of harnessing its human resources and the obligation of seeing to it that they are not dissipated or no less worse, not use at all and for the purpose, a comprehensive urgent program that addresses economic stability without straining the valued human resources of the nation.

Under these prevailing circumstances and conditions, the JCI Senate Philippines has come together to venture into a noble project that will help address the state of our country’s health system by way of giving due honor and recognition to the Filipino doctors who have remained in our country to be of service to our countrymen.

THE JCI SENATE PHILIPPINES

The JCI Senate Philippines is the national organization of JCI Senators, whose membership is strictly limited to the Lifetime Members (JCI Senators) of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) in recognition of their respective outstanding achievements and contributions to the Jaycee movement. The JCI Senatorship is an award excusive to a very few, such that of the millions of members and former members of the JCI worldwide, only about 60,000 have been awarded so far, of the JCI Senatorship award during the last 60 years or so. There are about 3,000 Filipino individuals who have so far been awarded the JCI Senatorship.

AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME

The TOFP award was the brainchild of JCI Sen. Arturo Zurbito, Jr. Capitol Jaycee Senate Past Prime Minister, 2006 President of the Metro Manila Jaycee Senate and 2005 Director of the JCISP, who recommended it to JCISP National President Senen P. Quiambao.

Seeing the wisdom of giving due recognition to the Filipino physicians with exceptional achievements in the field of medicine who, through their calling and discipline, have remained true to their oath in providing health care to our countrymen, the JCISP president passionately pushed for the project. He presented the TOFP Project to the National Board that unanimously approved it.

JCISP-DOH PARTNERSHIP

It was JCI Sen. Melandrew T. Velasco, JCISP Senator magazine editor and TOFP PRO who exerted a lot of efforts to convince DOH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III for the TOFP project to be jointly undertaken by JCISP with the Department of Health. A Memorandum of Agreement was formally signed between DOH represented by Secretary Duque and JCISP by President Quiambao on March 31, 2007 in Angeles, Pampanga calling for the implementation of the TOFP.

Under the agreement, the DOH will help implement the TOFP by providing its technical expertise and by bridging institutions which are willing and capable to provide the resources needed in the project’s successful implementation.

Chaired by a former member of the Philippine House of Representatives and former General Manager of the National Housing Authority (NHA), JCI Sen. Marciano M. Pineda and the valuable assistance of JCI Senators in the various sub-committees, hundreds, if not thousands of man-hours will be expended and thousands of miles will be traveled by these volunteer JCI Senators in helping attain the objects of the TOFP award.

The TOFP award was formally launched on April 26, 2007 at the Lung Center of the Philippines with Health Secretary Duque serving as guest of honor and presenter assisted by JCISP President Quiambao and TOFP Chairman Mars Pineda.

TOFP IN THE FUTURE

Looking forward, the TOFP will be held annually and it is expected to become an institution of its own similar to the The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) and The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) awards.

Meron na bang na nominate naFEU alumni dito?