As the year ends, the Department of Health had tasked us to sum-up some

health policies where the annual budget will be allocated to. This article will be divided

in three, tackling three different policies, and exploring three different characteristics of

three of the greatest doctor the world had. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Dra. Fe del Mundo,

and Dr. William Osler, these three had different gender, different nationalities, and lived

in different eras; but they have something in common aside from being great doctors. All

of them were doctors who had selflessly dedicated their life in saving and healing others

in their own innovative ways.

Free Hospitalization for All.

One of the most heartbreaking things that can happen to a doctor is not being

able to cure their patients, not because he is not competent, but because that is what

the society dictate so. Health, just like any social context of the society is subjected to

social injustice, maybe more than any other, where poor is victimized of not being able

to avail or lacking of capability to afford a good health, where when one fell into the trap

we called illness, it became a vicious cycle that made the poor be buried in debt that will

be passed to generation to generation.

So what happened is many Filipino who belong to the cluster of the

underprivileged have an aversion on availing health services, not because they do not

have faith on their doctors but because they were afraid that they will not be avail to pay

their bills. That is why many of them just visit a doctor when the pain they feel is already

unbearable, when it already hindered their daily living, and when all possible means had

been exhausted, and when we say every means that includes praying to every God and
deities, trying every herbals that they can consume, and even going to village quacks

that might aggravate their disease. And when they came to you, the once preventable

disease had reach a severity of no turning back, that despite of excruciating pain they

felt the only thing in their mind is they rather die than let their loved ones be buried by

the endless hospital bills and be burden to eternity.

Then you will know at that time that no matter how many sub-specialization you

had, even though you had training in the most prestigious hospital in the country, your

hands are still tied, you are still bound not by the oath you took when you became a

doctor but by the policies of the hospital where you worked at, that you are still

powerless against the rules of life. As you’re being succumb in darkness of despair, you

will remember this great doctor who selflessly served as a jungle doctor in Gabon,

Africa. Yes, I am talking about the infamous Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

Among his many charitable works, Dr. Schweitzer founded a hospital in

Lambarene, which is the capital of Moyen-Ogooue in the nation of Gabon. Together

with her wife, Schweitzer did the best he could, in their first nine months, he treated

more than 2000 patients, the lack of medical staffs and proper facilities did not stop him

from treating his patients. Thru his benefit concerts and fundraising activities the old

makeshift hut that served as his clinic grew by leaps and bounds. By the 1950’s it

already had 3 unpaid physicians, 7 nurses and 13 volunteer aides that staffed the

hospital. At the time of Dr. Schwietzer’s death, at age 90 in 1965, the compound was

comprised of 70 buildings, 350 beds and a leper colony for 200.

He also once said that, “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show

compassion and the will to help others”. And that became the main concept of the policy
that submitted by the department, and was fortunately been approved by the president

by the end of this month. And that is free hospitalization for all through the expanded

Philippine Health Insurance or PhilHealth. As of the present there are still an estimated

eight million Filipinos who are not still covered by Philhealth. Like how Dr. Schweitzer

did not forsaken the people of Lambarene, or how our very own, Dra. del Mundo helped

the American children amidst the war in WWII, It is our duty, in serving the citizen of the

country, to let all the Filipino have the same health privilege. Just like the medical care

act of Canada, the government attempts to ensure the quality of health services for

every Filipino, which is mostly free at the point of use and has most services provided

by private entities. In this sense, it will reduce the out-of-pocket that most Filipino

endures. Now, no citizen of this country will be denied of any health services nor be

turned down from any hospital because they do not have any money. Now any Filipino

will never be repulsive to seek a doctor because of the hospital bill.

MD: Makabayang Doctor Scholarship

One of an aspiring doctor dilemma before entering medical school is where to get

the money for his/her educational expenses. Many of them did not pursue this

profession mainly because of financial difficulties. As everyone knows, being a doctor is

usually perceived costly. “I should have been a doctor if I was only rich” had become a

common phrase of the people who can’t afford the expenses of being in medical school.

That’s why the program launched by the Department of Health with the cooperation with

the Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO) in 2012, opened new doors to those

who wanted to be doctors but does not have any financial capabilities. Sadly it was put
to end a few years afterwards due to the budget problem. But now, after almost three

decades, the department of Health with the help of the legislative body of the country

will again try to help our youth in pursuing their dreams of becoming doctors.

The department is planning to take 500 scholar, under the program MD,

Makabayang Doktor scholarship. The goal of the said program is to produce competent

doctors who will serve the country and the people of this nation. And this time instead of

doing the traditional way of choosing the said scholars by just the level of their intellect

and financial status, the scholars must also have to be passionate in helping others and

do not discriminate against their patients. With all these said empathy and passion are

two of the qualities that those who were seeking financial assistance on becoming a

doctor must have.

“Listen to your patient, he is telling you the diagnosis.” “The good physician

treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease”. These

two statements are made by the father of modern medicine, Sir William Osler, which we

can contemplate as one of the characteristic of a great doctor, is being able to put

themselves on their patients’ shoes. And like Dra. Fe del Mundo who chose to go back

to the country in order to serve her people, those who wanted to be future doctors must

render back to their countrymen by serving as barrio doctors under the Doctor to the

Barrio Program of the Department of Health. In here they will serve as doctors to far-

flung places in the country for five years, and then they will be assigned to different

public hospital in the country for four years. This is for the reason that being a doctor

should not be and will never be a privilege of the financially fortunate only. Being a

medical doctor is a calling for lifetime vocation of serving others.

Medical Humanities Subject to be Included to Doctor of Medicine Curriculum in the

Country.

The last policy that the department proposed would be based on one of the

defining characteristic of these three great doctors; they were all innovators. They tend

to think outside the box in order to solve a problem; they do not conform to mediocrity

that the society instills. DOH will be launching a policy together with the Commission on

Higher Education (CHED) to impart the subject Medical Humanities in the curriculum on

every Medical School. The said idea started in the College of Medicine, New Era

University, and a brainchild of Dr. Genesis C. Rivera, the then director of university’s

Center for Medical and Allied Health Science; where their curriculum included Medical

Humanities as one of the required subject.

The said subject are consist of topics on milestones in the field of medicine,

studying different paintings, movies, songs, and poetry and analyzing them, it also

includes the life of some of the greatest doctors of our time, three of them were cited in

this article for a couple of time, Dr. Schweitzer, Dr. Del Mundo, and Dr, Osler. Some

might find it absurd for we are used to perceiving medicine as a science, a matter of

black and white thing. But as Hippocrates said, “Wherever the art of medicine is loved,

there is also a love of Humanity.” As our then professor, Dr. Rivera told us, that

medicine is a social science where you will never become a proficient doctor if you will

not communicate with your patient, if you do not build a rapport with them, and if you do

not put yourself on their shoes.

In studying the lives of these great doctors, it will guide the future doctors to

weave their own future. Like what Confucius stated, “Study the past, if you would divine
the future”. Four years after Medical Humanities had been introduced, a study was been

made in order to assess the attitude to mental illness of the medical students who

undergone the said curriculum compared to those who did not. And the study yielded a

magnificent result showing a strong correlation between medical students who took the

subject Medical Humanities and positive attitude to mental illness. Then five years ago,

a study were made to measure if their outlook on the medical world and health services

will increase after taking medical humanities. The said study resulted to significant

increase in positive outlook on health services. It can be interpreted from these two

studies, that the students who took medical humanities have been able to empathize

with their patient and have a generally optimistic and humane outlook in life. Truly, the

first four batches of students are now doctors who serve their countrymen, by being

doctors to the barrios, volunteer doctors, and doctors on public hospital in the country.

Together with these three policies, the Department of Health hopes that the

problem in brain drain and shortage of doctors in the country, especially in the rural

places will be answered. Wouldn’t it be amazing to produce great doctors, which

characteristic is not based on their merits, quantity of sub specialization, nor annual

income, but due to their willingness to help others, their ability to empathize with their

patients, and their aptitude to solve the healthcare problem in the Philippines in an

innovative way.

LINDT CAMILLE O. ALBA, MD, MPH, FPPA