Healthcare and Politics

Healthcare and Politics

Yes people, there’s politics in every grain of our breakfast cereal.

Less do ordinary people know that politics at health institutions is as extensive as the jueteng state of affairs. Gone are the days that healthcare practitioners consider this industry as noble—unless we’re talking about the dough.

Oh come on give me a break. People will not spend half their millions to medical school without computing the ROI. Except of course if they are the type whose ambitions are confined in a bottle of redhorse served on the streets. (Or yeah, perhaps alo the few whose tuitions were paid on behalf because their cerebral capacity is uncontested)

1.) The TV series ‘Greys Anatomy’ for crap’s sake is not all about the overwhelming medical procedures but the daily politics inside the hospital. There’s an arrogant Chief Resident, HOT but definitely not handsome surgeon, doctor-nurse relationship, labor-management issues, an old and traditional director, drop-dead gay doctor, newbie wannabe, and yes, there has to be some sex-y time. (Excuse us for the green inside jokes, but topics about locked in penis in a vagina are nothing but mundane—so if you find it off and immoral please remind yourself that you’re not in a worship place)

2.) On a [H]ouse perspective, it’s all about the pride and competition. I have never met a DOCTOR QUACK who doesn’t (show signs of) have(ing) ambitions of becoming the next CHIEF consultant or Hospital Director. If I’m wrong and someone can introduce me to a fine young doctor who only wants to cure and not collect a fee—I’d pay him a million. There’s more to health CARE than pure service. If you start paying for your date, feed your family or the other family, finance a grandiose obsession for cars, funding for medical supplies, the ‘few’ non-sense conventions, plus of course recovering medical school investment—service fee will resort to an unbelievable figure. Now you know how professional fees are computed.

3.) At this point I can no longer pull off a TV series that will give a picture of how Irish the Philippine Health Care Delivery system is. Disposing health care budget to the DILG is a diplomatic invitation to corruption. The local government (please ignore this if you’re not guilty) will screen and hold the fund to sustain more potential investments. I may not be the best person to tell what’s best for the money of the province—but one thing’s for sure, it belongs to the people and constituents of the place. If I get admitted at a district hospital at the deepest ends of the suburb, fear of nosocomial infection and tetanus will cause me hypochondriac tendencies more likely. Government hospitals—primary, secondary, or tertiary should be completely equipped with diagnostic machines to somehow delay the death of patients before being transferred to a more class and equipped GOVERNMENT hospital in the city.

Yesterday, I took the liberty to question the director of a district hospital from the neighboring town. He deliberately discussed his repulsion towards the local government’s mandate on healthcare budget. “It’s tough politics up there” he started. Small hospitals, especially those at the barrio will never enjoy the perks of a city hospital. It’s hard that I’m speaking on behalf of the little ones while I’m looking forward to the high stakes of the private sector. Director mentioned that expansion and improvement of the barrio hospital would mean less income at the city. (Why are we talking about income at the first place when supposedly government subsidies are 100% funded). For the record, private concerned individuals end up doing fundraising schemes and pulling out money from their personal accounts just to finance and fill up the incompetency of the government.

4.) How the hell do these little and government owned hospitals pass PHILHEALTH and DOH inspections when shit and blood are dripping faster than water from their faucets. PHAP (Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines) should raise their flag and demand for a fair benchmarking protocol (but then again, that’s politics). People from the private sector are investing all their time and effort to deliver a sound policy that will govern a quality assured healthcare institution—only to find out that the governor’s healthcare seed can get through this accreditations without lifting a finger. (That’s first hand information from the directors office)

5.) PHAP vs PHILHEALTH. Thank you Dr. Rustico Jiminez for voicing out our long due problems with PHILHEALTH. Perhaps, the 5 star hospitals don’t seem to feel the impact of delayed payables because apparently their clients can afford a fine healthcare without the aid of PHILHEALTH. How about the average income hospitals? If payables amounting to half a million are pending, are we allowed to delay our staff’s salary, electric or water bill and medical supplies? Dear PHILHEALTH, your benchmarking rocks and we have no problems submitting to it, but who does your evaluation? My people are consistently munching on my 3in1 coffee just to alert their sanity at 3AM finishing PHILHEALTH reports.

Then we wait for months and months and months to watch pending payables move an inch closer.

GIVE ME A BREAK.