Occupational health and safety issues among nurses in the

Philippines
AB De Castro, Suzanne L Cabrera, Gilbert C Gee, Kaori Fujishiro, Eularito A Tagalog
Aaohn Journal 57 (4), 149-157, 2009
Nursing is a hazardous occupation in the United States, but little is Known about workplace
health and safety issues facing the nursing work force in the Philippines. In this article, work-
related problems among a sample of nurses in the Philippines are described. Cross-sectional
data were collected through a self-administered survey during the Philippine Nurses Association
2007 convention. Measures included four categories: work-related demographics, occupational
injury/illness, reporting behavior, and safety concerns. Approximately 40% of nurses had
experienced at least one injury or illness in the past year, and 80% had experienced back pain.
Most who had an injury did not report it. The top ranking concerns were stress and overwork.
Filipino nurses encounter considerable health and safety concerns that are similar to those
encountered by nurses in other countries. Future research should examine the work
organization factors that contribute to these concerns and strengthen policies to promote health
and safety.

https://scholar.google.com.ph/scholar?hl=tl&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=health+issues+in+philippines&btnG=#d
=gs_qabs&p=&u=%23p%3DLG53ljZw_isJ

The demand for child health services in the Philippines

Little research has focused on the factors affecting use of components of primary health care
services, particularly in developing countries. This study examines the patterns of usage of child
health care provided for preschoolers by modern public, modern private and traditional health
practitioners as well as by self treatment. A simultaneous logit framework is used to study the
determinants of choice among these four child health service alternatives. The analysis is based
on the Bicol Multipurpose Survey, conducted in one of the poorest regions of the Philippines as
a multivisit household and community survey of 1906 households and 100 communities,
representative of the three major provinces in this region.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0160799581900496
Clinical issues in mental health service delivery to refugees
Elizabeth Gong-Guy, Richard B Cravens, Terence E Patterson
Serious limitations exist in the delivery of mental health services to refugees throughout the
resettlement process. Having survived harrowing physical and psychological traumas prior to
reaching refugee camps, many refugees encounter mental health services in overseas camps
that are characterized by fragmentation, instability, language barriers, and severe staff
shortages. Refugees requiring mental health intervention after resettlement in the US confront
additional barriers, including frequent misdiagnosis, inappropriate use of interpreters and
paraprofessionals, and culturally inappropriate treatment methods. Suggestions for improving
mental health services for refugee populations emphasize modifying diagnostic assumptions
and treatment approaches, recognizing potential problems associated with using interpreters
and paraprofessionals, and examining the role of consultation, prevention, and outreach
services in addressing refugee mental health concerns
https://scholar.google.com.ph/scholar?start=10&q=health+issues+in+philippines&hl=tl&as_sdt=0,5#d=g
s_qabs&p=&u=%23p%3DwmThlVBbI1AJ

President's health: Touchy topic for Duterte, public

concern for Constitution
The public so far relies only on the word of President Rodrigo Duterte and his spokesmen as to the real
state of his health

DUTERTE'S HEALTH. The septuagenarian President has been touchy about the issue of his health.
Malacañang photo

MANILA, Philippines – The President’s health has always been an issue of great public interest because it
concerns the capability of the Chief Executive to lead the nation.

Health is of particular concern for President Rodrigo Duterte, the oldest Philippine president upon
assumption. Duterte, who took his oath at the age of 71, is the country’s first septuagenarian president.

Worries about the state of his health resurfaced when he dropped by a hospital on July 22, a day before
delivering his 3rd State of the Nation Address.

Though Malacañang eventually announced it was for a “routine medical check-up,” Palace officials at
first kept mum about the visit.

When Rappler first asked Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque about it through a message, he refused
to answer the question directly and merely said the President was rehearsing his SONA speech that
evening.

It was only after Rappler broke the story, citing sources privy to the hospital visit, that Roque confirmed
it publicly and claimed the hospital trip was for an ordinary check-up. The spokesman also said that
after “about an hour and a half” of “routine examination,” the President was declared by doctors to be “in
good health.”
A source privy to the hospital visit said Duterte spent "3 hours" in the hospital, not just an hour and a
half. He also supposedly visited the Cardiology, Neurology, Pulmonology Department.

Transparency about the President’s health is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. Section 12 of Article
VII reads:
“In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The members of
the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.”

National security issue

Ateneo de Manila University political science professor Carmel Abao said the Constitution frames the
president's health as a "national security concern."

"It is important for the public to be updated about the President's health because he or she is the Chief
Executive and Commander in Chief. Thus, he or she is expected to make important decisions on behalf
of the nation – and must have the physical, mental, and emotional capability to do so," she told Rappler.

"A president's health is a 'public interest issue' not a private one – a 'national security' issue, as our
Constitution puts it. The nation deserves a fully-functioning presidency," she added.

For full transparency, Malacañang should let medical records or doctors give the public an accurate
account of Duterte's health.

"In Duterte's case, it should be the medical records and medical doctors speaking, not Duterte or his
spokespersons. That's how serious we are supposed to take the health issue," said Abao.

So far, the public has to rely on the word of Duterte or his spokesmen as to the state of his health.

President's health: Touchy topic for Duterte, public

concern for Constitution
The public so far relies only on the word of President Rodrigo Duterte and his
spokesmen as to the real state of his health

Pia Ranada
12:30:0am August 4, 2018
12:40:3am August 4, 2018

DUTERTE'S HEALTH. The septuagenarian President has been touchy about the issue of
his health. Malacañang photo

MANILA, Philippines – The President’s health has always been an issue of great public
interest because it concerns the capability of the Chief Executive to lead the nation.

Health is of particular concern for President Rodrigo Duterte, the oldest Philippine
president upon assumption. Duterte, who took his oath at the age of 71, is the country’s
first septuagenarian president.
Worries about the state of his health resurfaced when he dropped by a hospital on July
22, a day before delivering his 3rd State of the Nation Address.

Though Malacañang eventually announced it was for a “routine medical check-up,”

Palace officials at first kept mum about the visit.

When Rappler first asked Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque about it through a
message, he refused to answer the question directly and merely said the President was
rehearsing his SONA speech that evening.

It was only after Rappler broke the story, citing sources privy to the hospital visit, that
Roque confirmed it publicly and claimed the hospital trip was for an ordinary check-up.
The spokesman also said that after “about an hour and a half” of “routine examination,”
the President was declared by doctors to be “in good health.”

A source privy to the hospital visit said Duterte spent "3 hours" in the hospital, not just
an hour and a half. He also supposedly visited the Cardiology, Neurology, Pulmonology
Department.

Transparency about the President’s health is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. Section
12 of Article VII reads:
“In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The
members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.”

National security issue

Ateneo de Manila University political science professor Carmel Abao said the
Constitution frames the president's health as a "national security concern."

"It is important for the public to be updated about the President's health because he or
she is the Chief Executive and Commander in Chief. Thus, he or she is expected to make
important decisions on behalf of the nation – and must have the physical, mental, and
emotional capability to do so," she told Rappler.

"A president's health is a 'public interest issue' not a private one – a 'national security'
issue, as our Constitution puts it. The nation deserves a fully-functioning presidency,"
she added.

For full transparency, Malacañang should let medical records or doctors give the public
an accurate account of Duterte's health.

"In Duterte's case, it should be the medical records and medical doctors speaking, not
Duterte or his spokespersons. That's how serious we are supposed to take the health
issue," said Abao.
 So far, the public has to rely on the word of Duterte or his spokesmen as to the state of
his health.

Instead of medical certificates or bulletins, both Presidential Spokesmen Ernesto Abella

and Harry Roque have pointed to Duterte’s energy for holding long Cabinet meetings
and attending multiple events a day to proof that he is “in the pink of health.”

Duterte himself has brushed aside his many health conditions as a normal consequence
of aging.

Senators have called on Malacañang to issue medical bulletins, especially in 2017 when,
for two roughly week-long periods, Duterte was out of the public eye supposedly to get
some “rest.”

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, however, said medical bulletins would only be necessary
if Duterte had a “serious illness.”

These two long stretches of rest periods began after he skipped an Independence Day
ceremony supposedly due to fatigue from his gruelling schedule.

Touchy topic

Duterte and his inner circle have always been particularly touchy about the issue of his
health.

It is, in fact, an issue where he has not been very transparent. During the 2016 campaign,
for instance, his staff lied to reporters that Duterte had taken a flight back to Davao City
right after skipping an event in Ortigas, Pasig City. It turns out, he spent the night in
Cardinal Santos Medical Center, supposedly due to “severe migraine” and “chest cold.”

Duterte, defending his staff to reporters, said he had instructed them to lie to media
because he didn’t want reporters poking into his hospital room.

Questions about his health have also prompted vicious replies from him, especially
during the campaign season, when he was up against much younger rivals for the
presidency.

He challenged one reporter to resign if he, Duterte, could last more than an hour on a treadmill. To
another reporter asking about his medical certificate, Duterte asked about the condition of the
reporter’s wife’s vagina, and if it was smelly from vaginitis.

How previous presidents dealt with health issues

Other presidents post-Marcos handled health issues differently, especially President Fidel Ramos.
Ramos had routine medical checkups and results were released to the media through medical bulletins.

There was no public concern about the health of Ramos, a retired general known for keeping fit, until
December 1996, when he had surgery to remove a significant blockage in an artery in his neck. Regular
medical bulletins were released on his condition following his surgery. A couple of months later – and
weeks ahead of a visit to South Asia and the Middle East – Ramos had a stress test to determine his
fitness to travel. His doctors, again, released a report.

Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had joint executive checkups with husband Mike Arroyo, aside
from regular checkups for treatment of a minor illness like a bum stomach or sore throat.

President's health: Touchy topic for Duterte, public

concern for Constitution
The public so far relies only on the word of President Rodrigo Duterte and his
spokesmen as to the real state of his health

Pia Ranada
12:30:0am August 4, 2018
12:40:3am August 4, 2018

DUTERTE'S HEALTH. The septuagenarian President has been touchy about the issue of
his health. Malacañang photo

MANILA, Philippines – The President’s health has always been an issue of great public
interest because it concerns the capability of the Chief Executive to lead the nation.

Health is of particular concern for President Rodrigo Duterte, the oldest Philippine
president upon assumption. Duterte, who took his oath at the age of 71, is the country’s
first septuagenarian president.

Worries about the state of his health resurfaced when he dropped by a hospital on July
22, a day before delivering his 3rd State of the Nation Address.

Though Malacañang eventually announced it was for a “routine medical check-up,”

Palace officials at first kept mum about the visit.

When Rappler first asked Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque about it through a
message, he refused to answer the question directly and merely said the President was
rehearsing his SONA speech that evening.

It was only after Rappler broke the story, citing sources privy to the hospital visit, that
Roque confirmed it publicly and claimed the hospital trip was for an ordinary check-up.
The spokesman also said that after “about an hour and a half” of “routine examination,”
the President was declared by doctors to be “in good health.”

A source privy to the hospital visit said Duterte spent "3 hours" in the hospital, not just
an hour and a half. He also supposedly visited the Cardiology, Neurology, Pulmonology
Department.
Transparency about the President’s health is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. Section
12 of Article VII reads:
“In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The
members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.”

National security issue

Ateneo de Manila University political science professor Carmel Abao said the
Constitution frames the president's health as a "national security concern."

"It is important for the public to be updated about the President's health because he or
she is the Chief Executive and Commander in Chief. Thus, he or she is expected to make
important decisions on behalf of the nation – and must have the physical, mental, and
emotional capability to do so," she told Rappler.

"A president's health is a 'public interest issue' not a private one – a 'national security'
issue, as our Constitution puts it. The nation deserves a fully-functioning presidency,"
she added.

For full transparency, Malacañang should let medical records or doctors give the public
an accurate account of Duterte's health.

"In Duterte's case, it should be the medical records and medical doctors speaking, not
Duterte or his spokespersons. That's how serious we are supposed to take the health
issue," said Abao.

So far, the public has to rely on the word of Duterte or his spokesmen as to the state of
his health.

Instead of medical certificates or bulletins, both Presidential Spokesmen Ernesto Abella

and Harry Roque have pointed to Duterte’s energy for holding long Cabinet meetings
and attending multiple events a day to proof that he is “in the pink of health.”

Duterte himself has brushed aside his many health conditions as a normal consequence
of aging.

Senators have called on Malacañang to issue medical bulletins, especially in 2017 when,
for two roughly week-long periods, Duterte was out of the public eye supposedly to get
some “rest.”

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, however, said medical bulletins would only be necessary
if Duterte had a “serious illness.”

These two long stretches of rest periods began after he skipped an Independence Day
ceremony supposedly due to fatigue from his gruelling schedule.
Touchy topic

Duterte and his inner circle have always been particularly touchy about the issue of his
health.

It is, in fact, an issue where he has not been very transparent. During the 2016 campaign,
for instance, his staff lied to reporters that Duterte had taken a flight back to Davao City
right after skipping an event in Ortigas, Pasig City. It turns out, he spent the night in
Cardinal Santos Medical Center, supposedly due to “severe migraine” and “chest cold.”

Duterte, defending his staff to reporters, said he had instructed them to lie to media
because he didn’t want reporters poking into his hospital room.

Questions about his health have also prompted vicious replies from him, especially
during the campaign season, when he was up against much younger rivals for the
presidency.

He challenged one reporter to resign if he, Duterte, could last more than an hour on a
treadmill. To another reporter asking about his medical certificate, Duterte asked about
the condition of the reporter’s wife’s vagina, and if it was smelly from vaginitis.

How previous presidents dealt with health issues

Other presidents post-Marcos handled health issues differently, especially President

Fidel Ramos. Ramos had routine medical checkups and results were released to the
media through medical bulletins.

There was no public concern about the health of Ramos, a retired general known for
keeping fit, until December 1996, when he had surgery to remove a significant blockage
in an artery in his neck. Regular medical bulletins were released on his condition
following his surgery. A couple of months later – and weeks ahead of a visit to South Asia
and the Middle East – Ramos had a stress test to determine his fitness to travel. His
doctors, again, released a report.

Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had joint executive checkups with husband
Mike Arroyo, aside from regular checkups for treatment of a minor illness like a bum
stomach or sore throat.

Arroyo, however, was not consistently transparent about her medical treatments when
she was Philippine chief. In 2006, she was twice hospitalized for acute diarrhea and each
time, her doctors released medical bulletins and updates. But in 2009, Malacañang only
confirmed that she had a lumpectomy two weeks after the procedure, and apparently
only to dispel earlier unconfirmed reports that the surgery was for her leaking breast
implants.

Arroyo's health was also the subject of much speculation during her 9-year presidency.
How did she handle it? Weeks after her second hospital confinement in July 2006, she
tried to end rumors about her health by telling the media: "I got sick. I am fine. End of
story." (READ: Is the President sick?)

Then President Benigno Aquino III, meanwhile, had bouts of incessant coughing while
delivering speeches, which has been attributed to his smoking habit. Doctors expressed
concern publicly but said there was no need at the time to issue medical bulletins.

President's health: Touchy topic for Duterte, public

concern for Constitution
The public so far relies only on the word of President Rodrigo Duterte and his
spokesmen as to the real state of his health

Pia Ranada
12:30:0am August 4, 2018
12:40:3am August 4, 2018

DUTERTE'S HEALTH. The septuagenarian President has been touchy about the issue of
his health. Malacañang photo

MANILA, Philippines – The President’s health has always been an issue of great public
interest because it concerns the capability of the Chief Executive to lead the nation.

Health is of particular concern for President Rodrigo Duterte, the oldest Philippine
president upon assumption. Duterte, who took his oath at the age of 71, is the country’s
first septuagenarian president.

Worries about the state of his health resurfaced when he dropped by a hospital on July
22, a day before delivering his 3rd State of the Nation Address.

Though Malacañang eventually announced it was for a “routine medical check-up,”

Palace officials at first kept mum about the visit.

When Rappler first asked Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque about it through a
message, he refused to answer the question directly and merely said the President was
rehearsing his SONA speech that evening.

It was only after Rappler broke the story, citing sources privy to the hospital visit, that
Roque confirmed it publicly and claimed the hospital trip was for an ordinary check-up.
The spokesman also said that after “about an hour and a half” of “routine examination,”
the President was declared by doctors to be “in good health.”
A source privy to the hospital visit said Duterte spent "3 hours" in the hospital, not just
an hour and a half. He also supposedly visited the Cardiology, Neurology, Pulmonology
Department.

Transparency about the President’s health is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. Section
12 of Article VII reads:
“In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The
members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.”

National security issue

Ateneo de Manila University political science professor Carmel Abao said the
Constitution frames the president's health as a "national security concern."

"It is important for the public to be updated about the President's health because he or
she is the Chief Executive and Commander in Chief. Thus, he or she is expected to make
important decisions on behalf of the nation – and must have the physical, mental, and
emotional capability to do so," she told Rappler.

"A president's health is a 'public interest issue' not a private one – a 'national security'
issue, as our Constitution puts it. The nation deserves a fully-functioning presidency,"
she added.

For full transparency, Malacañang should let medical records or doctors give the public
an accurate account of Duterte's health.

"In Duterte's case, it should be the medical records and medical doctors speaking, not
Duterte or his spokespersons. That's how serious we are supposed to take the health
issue," said Abao.

So far, the public has to rely on the word of Duterte or his spokesmen as to the state of
his health.

Instead of medical certificates or bulletins, both Presidential Spokesmen Ernesto Abella

and Harry Roque have pointed to Duterte’s energy for holding long Cabinet meetings
and attending multiple events a day to proof that he is “in the pink of health.”

Duterte himself has brushed aside his many health conditions as a normal consequence
of aging.

Senators have called on Malacañang to issue medical bulletins, especially in 2017 when,
for two roughly week-long periods, Duterte was out of the public eye supposedly to get
some “rest.”

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, however, said medical bulletins would only be necessary
if Duterte had a “serious illness.”
These two long stretches of rest periods began after he skipped an Independence Day
ceremony supposedly due to fatigue from his gruelling schedule.

Touchy topic

Duterte and his inner circle have always been particularly touchy about the issue of his
health.

It is, in fact, an issue where he has not been very transparent. During the 2016 campaign,
for instance, his staff lied to reporters that Duterte had taken a flight back to Davao City
right after skipping an event in Ortigas, Pasig City. It turns out, he spent the night in
Cardinal Santos Medical Center, supposedly due to “severe migraine” and “chest cold.”

Duterte, defending his staff to reporters, said he had instructed them to lie to media
because he didn’t want reporters poking into his hospital room.

Questions about his health have also prompted vicious replies from him, especially
during the campaign season, when he was up against much younger rivals for the
presidency.

He challenged one reporter to resign if he, Duterte, could last more than an hour on a
treadmill. To another reporter asking about his medical certificate, Duterte asked about
the condition of the reporter’s wife’s vagina, and if it was smelly from vaginitis.

How previous presidents dealt with health issues

Other presidents post-Marcos handled health issues differently, especially President

Fidel Ramos. Ramos had routine medical checkups and results were released to the
media through medical bulletins.

There was no public concern about the health of Ramos, a retired general known for
keeping fit, until December 1996, when he had surgery to remove a significant blockage
in an artery in his neck. Regular medical bulletins were released on his condition
following his surgery. A couple of months later – and weeks ahead of a visit to South Asia
and the Middle East – Ramos had a stress test to determine his fitness to travel. His
doctors, again, released a report.

Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had joint executive checkups with husband
Mike Arroyo, aside from regular checkups for treatment of a minor illness like a bum
stomach or sore throat.

Arroyo, however, was not consistently transparent about her medical treatments when
she was Philippine chief. In 2006, she was twice hospitalized for acute diarrhea and each
time, her doctors released medical bulletins and updates. But in 2009, Malacañang only
confirmed that she had a lumpectomy two weeks after the procedure, and apparently
only to dispel earlier unconfirmed reports that the surgery was for her leaking breast
implants.
Arroyo's health was also the subject of much speculation during her 9-year presidency.
How did she handle it? Weeks after her second hospital confinement in July 2006, she
tried to end rumors about her health by telling the media: "I got sick. I am fine. End of
story." (READ: Is the President sick?)

Then President Benigno Aquino III, meanwhile, had bouts of incessant coughing while
delivering speeches, which has been attributed to his smoking habit. Doctors expressed
concern publicly but said there was no need at the time to issue medical bulletins.

The Philippine chief who was most secretive about the state of his health was the late
strongman Ferdinand Marcos, who continually denied reports that he suffered from
lupus as he tried to keep his grip on power.

What we know

Here’s what we know so far about Duterte’s health:

Admitted having Buerger’s Disease, Barrett’s Esophagus, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux

disease)

Spinal issues

Frequent migraines

Sleeps with the aid of an oxygen concentrator

Has used fentanyl patches

Has a cardiopulmonary doctor

Made an unannounced visit to a hospital on July 22 supposedly for a routine medical

check-up, before his 3rd SONA

President's health: Touchy topic for Duterte, public

concern for Constitution
The public so far relies only on the word of President Rodrigo Duterte and his
spokesmen as to the real state of his health

Pia Ranada
12:30:0am August 4, 2018
12:40:3am August 4, 2018

DUTERTE'S HEALTH. The septuagenarian President has been touchy about the issue of
his health. Malacañang photo
MANILA, Philippines – The President’s health has always been an issue of great public
interest because it concerns the capability of the Chief Executive to lead the nation.

Health is of particular concern for President Rodrigo Duterte, the oldest Philippine
president upon assumption. Duterte, who took his oath at the age of 71, is the country’s
first septuagenarian president.

Worries about the state of his health resurfaced when he dropped by a hospital on July
22, a day before delivering his 3rd State of the Nation Address.

Though Malacañang eventually announced it was for a “routine medical check-up,”

Palace officials at first kept mum about the visit.

When Rappler first asked Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque about it through a
message, he refused to answer the question directly and merely said the President was
rehearsing his SONA speech that evening.

It was only after Rappler broke the story, citing sources privy to the hospital visit, that
Roque confirmed it publicly and claimed the hospital trip was for an ordinary check-up.
The spokesman also said that after “about an hour and a half” of “routine examination,”
the President was declared by doctors to be “in good health.”

A source privy to the hospital visit said Duterte spent "3 hours" in the hospital, not just
an hour and a half. He also supposedly visited the Cardiology, Neurology, Pulmonology
Department.

Transparency about the President’s health is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. Section
12 of Article VII reads:
“In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The
members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.”

National security issue

Ateneo de Manila University political science professor Carmel Abao said the
Constitution frames the president's health as a "national security concern."

"It is important for the public to be updated about the President's health because he or
she is the Chief Executive and Commander in Chief. Thus, he or she is expected to make
important decisions on behalf of the nation – and must have the physical, mental, and
emotional capability to do so," she told Rappler.

"A president's health is a 'public interest issue' not a private one – a 'national security'
issue, as our Constitution puts it. The nation deserves a fully-functioning presidency,"
she added.
For full transparency, Malacañang should let medical records or doctors give the public
an accurate account of Duterte's health.

"In Duterte's case, it should be the medical records and medical doctors speaking, not
Duterte or his spokespersons. That's how serious we are supposed to take the health
issue," said Abao.

So far, the public has to rely on the word of Duterte or his spokesmen as to the state of
his health.

Instead of medical certificates or bulletins, both Presidential Spokesmen Ernesto Abella

and Harry Roque have pointed to Duterte’s energy for holding long Cabinet meetings
and attending multiple events a day to proof that he is “in the pink of health.”

Duterte himself has brushed aside his many health conditions as a normal consequence
of aging.

Senators have called on Malacañang to issue medical bulletins, especially in 2017 when,
for two roughly week-long periods, Duterte was out of the public eye supposedly to get
some “rest.”

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, however, said medical bulletins would only be necessary
if Duterte had a “serious illness.”

These two long stretches of rest periods began after he skipped an Independence Day
ceremony supposedly due to fatigue from his gruelling schedule.

Touchy topic

Duterte and his inner circle have always been particularly touchy about the issue of his
health.

It is, in fact, an issue where he has not been very transparent. During the 2016 campaign,
for instance, his staff lied to reporters that Duterte had taken a flight back to Davao City
right after skipping an event in Ortigas, Pasig City. It turns out, he spent the night in
Cardinal Santos Medical Center, supposedly due to “severe migraine” and “chest cold.”

Duterte, defending his staff to reporters, said he had instructed them to lie to media
because he didn’t want reporters poking into his hospital room.

Questions about his health have also prompted vicious replies from him, especially
during the campaign season, when he was up against much younger rivals for the
presidency.

He challenged one reporter to resign if he, Duterte, could last more than an hour on a
treadmill. To another reporter asking about his medical certificate, Duterte asked about
the condition of the reporter’s wife’s vagina, and if it was smelly from vaginitis.
How previous presidents dealt with health issues

Other presidents post-Marcos handled health issues differently, especially President

Fidel Ramos. Ramos had routine medical checkups and results were released to the
media through medical bulletins.

There was no public concern about the health of Ramos, a retired general known for
keeping fit, until December 1996, when he had surgery to remove a significant blockage
in an artery in his neck. Regular medical bulletins were released on his condition
following his surgery. A couple of months later – and weeks ahead of a visit to South Asia
and the Middle East – Ramos had a stress test to determine his fitness to travel. His
doctors, again, released a report.

Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had joint executive checkups with husband
Mike Arroyo, aside from regular checkups for treatment of a minor illness like a bum
stomach or sore throat.

Arroyo, however, was not consistently transparent about her medical treatments when
she was Philippine chief. In 2006, she was twice hospitalized for acute diarrhea and each
time, her doctors released medical bulletins and updates. But in 2009, Malacañang only
confirmed that she had a lumpectomy two weeks after the procedure, and apparently
only to dispel earlier unconfirmed reports that the surgery was for her leaking breast
implants.

Arroyo's health was also the subject of much speculation during her 9-year presidency.
How did she handle it? Weeks after her second hospital confinement in July 2006, she
tried to end rumors about her health by telling the media: "I got sick. I am fine. End of
story." (READ: Is the President sick?)

Then President Benigno Aquino III, meanwhile, had bouts of incessant coughing while
delivering speeches, which has been attributed to his smoking habit. Doctors expressed
concern publicly but said there was no need at the time to issue medical bulletins.

The Philippine chief who was most secretive about the state of his health was the late
strongman Ferdinand Marcos, who continually denied reports that he suffered from
lupus as he tried to keep his grip on power.

What we know

Here’s what we know so far about Duterte’s health:

Admitted having Buerger’s Disease, Barrett’s Esophagus, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux

disease)

Spinal issues

Frequent migraines
 Sleeps with the aid of an oxygen concentrator

Has used fentanyl patches

Has a cardiopulmonary doctor

Made an unannounced visit to a hospital on July 22 supposedly for a routine medical

check-up, before his 3rd SONA

Events he missed supposedly due to health concerns:

Independence Day ceremony in 2017

2 summits in Laos: the ASEAN-US and ASEAN-India summits;

Photo-op of ASEAN leaders with US President Barack Obama, also in Laos

APEC family photo in Peru

APEC economic leaders retreat “where heads of state divide themselves into smaller
groups" and provides "opportunities for leaders to freely discuss among themselves”

APEC gala dinner hosted by Peru President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski

Go Negosyo summit in Davao

Campaign speech in 2016 because he was rushed to the hospital where he stayed
overnight because of migraine and chest cold

https://www.google.com.ph/amp/s/amp.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/208762-health-president-duterte-
touchy-topic-public-concern