Doctors to the rescue
A tripartite program helps develop the healthcare systems of rural communities
By Gail J. Pelayo

Mother, mother, I am sick. Call the doctor very quick.

You may not hear children in the remotest provinces sing this nursery rhyme.

The lack of doctors in far-flung rural areas makes it literally impossible for barrio children to call a doctor and quite possibly to know one. The national budget of three percent for the health system – way below the five percent recommended by the World Health Organization – hinders the government from solving the dearth of medical doctors who will provide service to the health needs of barrio folks.

Aside from financial constraints, the lack of effective leadership in maintaining basic healthcare services that will make sure the meager budget is spent wisely aggravates the situation.

But through the Pfizer Foundation, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business (AGSB), and the Department of Health (DOH), rural communities now have greater chances of acquiring professional medical service through the Leaders for Health Program (LHP). This tripartite arrangement has taken on the challenge of providing the medical needs of the poorest, doctor-less communities.

A Three-Way Partnership
The program, which started in July 2002, was a follow-up to the Doctors to the Barrios program implemented by former Health Secretary Juan Flavier back in 1993. Since then, the DOH has been deploying doctors to far-flung communities to administer and serve the people on two-year assignments. A total of 337 doctors have been deployed to these areas and among them, 26% chose to remain and continue servicing the medical needs of the people.

LHP was inspired by the idea that effective healthcare service is not only contingent on the abundance of medical resources but also on how it is utilized and strategically allocated. Thus, instead of simply providing the communities with doctors, Pfizer, AGSB, and DOH have moved a step further in empowering even the local public and community officials and people’s organizations by providing basic education and development training to them.

The partnership works this way: Pfizer grants the financial assistance, AGSB handles the training; and DOH supplies the doctors.

Through a grant from the Pfizer Foundation in New York, Pfizer Foundation Philippines provides the necessary financial and advocacy support to the project. The funds given by Pfizer have made possible the creation of the Doctors to the Barrios Training and Learning Center in Tayuman, Manila, which is equipped with a virtual library, computers complete with Internet connections, and a training center composed of several classrooms. The classrooms serve as the venue for workshops and lectures and it can hold up to 30 participants. The training center is complete with audio-visual equipment for use of the participants.

Aside from this, Pfizer has also set up Medical Information Centers in the University of Sto. Tomas, the Philippine General Hospital, and the Philippine Heart Center where doctors, patients, and care-givers are given assistance on medical inquiries and research and supplied with information with regard to the treatment of specific diseases.

The Ateneo Graduate School of Business provides the training and capability enhancement to community leaders, people’s organizations and local officials for tens days every four months. The doctors, while serving in their respective communities earn their Master’s Degree in Healthcare Management Program from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. This set-up serves both the doctors and the project itself. The Department of Health, which is responsible for supplying the doctors to be deployed in the communities, will find it easy to lure and convince doctors to work for the project. These doctors will receive a minimal amount of compensation in exchange for their services and get in return hands-on training in medical service while taking and finishing their master’s degree.

Inspiring Initiative
The project has so far deployed 20 doctors to various communities while providing 20 local chief executives and 48 people’s organization leaders the training needed to implement municipal healthcare services that directly benefit more than 300,000 members of 20 fifth- and sixth-class municipalities. By 2004, the first batch of participants under the program will graduate from their volunteer work. The pilot communities of the project are situated among the municipalities of Camarines Sur, Samar, Biliran, and Surigao Del Norte.

The heartwarming efforts of LHP proponents to bring life to the healthcare system of the Philippines has encouraged several agencies to pledge support and contribute to the projects drafted by the communities in enhancing their healthcare system.

In the age of modern technology and fast-paced living, much can be done to combat diseases and sickness. Yet all of these would be meaningless without a functional and serviceable healthcare system that would deliver the fruits of technology to the people. Furthermore, communities in the rural areas can maximize its benefits if they have access to basic professional care from doctors. These dreams and more are becoming a reality for the rural communities, thanks to the efforts of Pfizer Foundation, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, and the Department of Health.