Medical tourism piece: Reactions & responses

As I write this piece, the public outcry regarding the week-old baby’s unfortunate experience in a private hospital continued to pour in. However, it is so noteworthy that the Cebu City Legislative Council reacted swiftly and made it clear that they will conduct its investigation and shall possibly draft (as mentioned by Hon. Gerardo Carillo) "an ordinance that will penalize health practitioners who commit any malpractice on their patients." Likewise, it is equally noteworthy that the Department of Health, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine National Police, Regional Prosecutor’s Office, and the Cebu City Hall’s Department on Social Welfare and Development agreed to form an inter-agency task force for this incident. Envisioned to impartially dig deeper into the case, it shall, as reported, be under DSWD-Region 7’s Regional Sub Committee for the Welfare of Children or RSCWC.

Talking about this incident, last week, as soon as it hit the front page of  The Freeman, I immediately wrote about it. I wrote about this incident vis-à-vis our medical tourism prospects. Unexpectedly, such piece elicited various reactions. While some were for it, there were those who were up in arms against it. They were, mostly, doctors. It should have been fair and good if I can print these varied reactions. However, due to limited space, I hope those who were for it will truly understand that I shall give priority to those who were up against it. Also, since individual reactions are quite aplenty but issues are common, again, due to limited space, allow me to skip the reactors’ names and let me focus on the common issues raised.

First and foremost, I was accused of making a "sweeping statement". The freedictionary.com defines "sweeping statement" as indiscriminate or without reservations. Now, anyone who was able to read my piece must have took notice that the sentence referred to as a "sweeping statement" started with the phrase "it seems". If anyone would care to search the web and know its use, it (the phrase, "it seems") simply means "used to make a statement or description of one's thoughts, feelings, or actions that is less assertive or less forceful". Therefore, the statement was not made without reservations as in the case of a "sweeping statement". More importantly, I never said all health practitioners or the medical profession as a whole in reference to such statement.

Moreover, the doctors/reactors reminded me that they also do charity work, thus, they don’t deserve such label or tag. Again, I wish to emphasize, I never said all. But talking about charity work, other professionals have given their share too. Lawyers do render legal services "pro bono" to those who are wrongly accused and can ill-afford to pay. Certified Public Accountants do render accounting and financial services to some cooperatives and non-governmental organizations for free with the hope that someday, through their formed organizations, they can stand on their own and may no longer rely on charity.

Furthermore, they’ve made the issue a number’s game. They stressed that due to those three incidents I cited (Janjan’s case in that controversial "Black Suede Scandal" at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the "hospital holiday threat" and this recent incident) why do I have the nerve to label it as majority. To this, may I say, since every one’s life is special, when it is in danger, will numbers be significant?

Finally, it seems that my name (through the piece I’ve written) was mentioned in the same breath as that of BIR Commissioner Kim Henares for allegedly casting as persions on a noble profession. With all humility, I will never be able to match Commissioner Henares stature or capabilities even for ten lifetimes. However, to some degree, we are on the same level as far as the flak we are getting from the doctors. In fact, some are sarcastically wishing us good health in our entire lifetime. As doctors, they knew for a fact that such condition doesn’t prevail. Therefore, to my opinion, it does tantamount to wishing us ill.

Truly, death puts all of us in this world on equal footings. In fact, because of its certainty, death is not even a question of when, it is a question of how. So that, since I was a kid and working as a "sacada" in several sugar cane plantations in Negros Oriental and up to the present, I have continued to strive to make my life meaningful by doing things that shall not only benefit my person but of others too. So that, instead of worrying (and be more productive), I have instead embrace the reality that that day shall come when I shall pass away.

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