Pinoy MD

We had the opportunity to meet Dr. Willie T. Ong, the author of the famous Medicine BLUE BOOK today. FYI, almost all medical clerks, interns and physicians have this book on hand. I must say that this book helped me through the endless and nerve-wrecking medical grand rounds. It's so useful and handy that until now, we still use it in our practice.

M.I.N.D is an advocacy and support group for Filipino doctors. We attended a talk about how physicians can improve the quality of healthcare in our country. Honestly, I decided to attend just to get the autographed copy of the book. I thought I was attending an activist meeting. I was wrong. The topics discussed included relevant issues like the MD to RN phenomenon, Brain-drain and Medical Malpractice bill. I must admit that the issue on Brain-drain struck me. With all our plans layed out and in the process of execution, I feel a little guilty about leaving the country. But who can blame a person who only wants to seek a better life? We have been given a chance to practice our profession in a more profitable environment and not everyone is fortunate enough to come across such opportunity. Don't get me wrong. We're not all about the money. We just want to save for our future. When the time is right, we can go back for our residency training without having to worry about the God-foresaken salary. If only more people would understand the plight of Filipino doctors...
Just to shed some light, here's an article that I stumbled upon. Please take time to read it!

Malpractice Issue: A Tough Fight Ahead
By Willie T. Ong, MD

Get ready for war.On the red corner, insurance groups and legislators have made a head start in pushing for several malpractice bills in the Senate. A reliable source has confirmed the hiring of a top lobby group to have these bills approved as soon as possible.On the blue corner, the Philippine Medical Association, led by its president Dr. Bu Castro, has initiated the “Total Recall” project, which asks for the withdrawal of all these bills. The PMA has met with its component associations in charting the battle plan.If you expect an even fight, think again. The multi-million funding of the insurance groups crushes the cash-strapped medical profession in the first round. Estimates show that the insurance groups stand to gain three billion pesos every year. This is from the 60,000 practicing doctors who will have to pay Php 50,000 yearly for malpractice insurance. Thus, it will not come as a surprise if they invest millions in lobby money to pass these bills.For those unaware, not one but five malpractice-related bills are pending in the Senate. Any one of which could spell doom for doctors and healthcare alike. Senator Serge Osmena’s Senate Bill (SB)1720 is self-explanatory: “An Act to protect against medical malpractice, punishing the malpractice of any medical practitioner and requiring them to secure malpractice insurance.” Other controversial bills are Senator Osmena’s SB-337, Senator Manuel Villar’s SB-588 and SB-743, and Senator Juan Flavier’s SB-03.The odds are stacked up against the doctors as prominent media personalities continue with their anti-doctor campaign. And for the defense, can the Philippine Medical Association put up a decent fight?

Implications of Malpractice Bills To The PatientAccording to the PMA president, the ill effects of malpractice bills are already well documented. “First, the cost of healthcare will rise dramatically as doctors practice ‘defensive medicine.’ More and more expensive laboratory test will be requested not for patient’s benefit but to protect the doctor from lawsuits.“Second, surgeons will refuse to operate on high-risk cases. No one will operate on serious but potentially curable cases for fear of lawsuits.“Third, all doctors will be forced to obtain malpractice insurance. This will force many doctors to find another profession or leave for abroad. Eighty-nine percent of doctors cannot afford malpractice insurance.“Fourth, there will be less and less medical missions, because doctors can be sued for treating charity cases.“In short, these Malpractice Bills are anti-poor and anti-patient. The poor can no longer get free health care from medical and surgical missions all over the country. As more and more doctors leave the country or retire early, our health care system will collapse. Thousands of poor people will die.”Dr. Bu Castro has many plans, all of which sound good but without adequate money and other doctor’s support, it may be impossible to accomplish. If for nothing else, the malpractice issue should awaken slumbering doctors from their apathy and rally around their cause.