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‘Doctors to the barrios’ needed in Ilocos Norte

LAOAG CITY, July 1 (PNA) -- Ilocos Norte’s long time standing as the first province to have universal health care for the poor may diminish over time unless "doctorless" villages in the province’s remotest health stations are properly filled up.

Citing the case of Tamdagan District Hospital servicing about 10,000 population in Vintar’s 11 upland villages, Dr. Juanito Chua, head of the Ilocos Norte Hospital Management Council, said Tuesday the Department of Health (DOH) has downgraded its classification from a primary health care to out-patient clinic due to the lack of a doctor assigned in the area.

Unlike a primary health facility that operates round the clock with a health physician, an out-patient facility only caters to indigent patients with or without PhilHealth, based on the DOH re-classification standards.

“If you lack manpower, apparently, your efficiency is sacrificed too. Like if we lack nurses or doctors, our effectiveness is also compromised,” Chua said as he reported there had been a great number of Ilocos doctors who retired or about to retire already but their vacant positions are not yet filled-up.

In 2000, Ilocos Norte has been recognized as the first province to have universal health care but with the lack of doctors and other specialists waiting to fill in vacant positions in Ilocos health care facilities, the overall health care system in Ilocos Norte will be affected.

As this develops, Chua has urged concerned local authorities to address this situation to keep pace with the DOH High Impact Five (HI-5) strategies to achieve universal health care by 2016.

“We hope and pray all the vacant positions will be open and slowly but surely, we move on to improve our health care system in the province,” Chua said.

Back in 1993 during the time of former Health Secretary Juan Flavier, the DOH launched the “Doctors to the Barrios” program to encourage medical graduates to consider spending at least two years of their professional practice to serve the country’s poorest and inaccessible villages, where it is most needed.(PNA)

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