The Department of Health tags August
as LUNG MONTH. August is the
birth month of then Pres. Manuel L. Quezon who died of tuberculosis more than
58 years ago when it had no known treatment.
Half a century after the discovery of effective anti-TB drugs,
tuberculosis continues to wreak havoc on the health of the Filipino people.
F.S,,
23, male, single, came alone all the way from Davao six years ago to
try his luck in Manila. He ended up being a
kargador ng banyera ng isda and living at the Trabaho Market in Sampaloc
where he earned P150 ($2.94) a
day. Such a circumstance took its toll on his health.
In May of this year, he had
blood-stained sputum and sought help at the Quezon Institute (QI).
He was diagnosed to have pulmonary TB and deformity of lumbar spine (kyphosis).
He was enrolled with the hospital’s DOTS
(Directly Observed Treatment Session) program that required him to go
to this hospital for his daily medications.
Despite being sick, he still had to
work each day to earn his daily bread. His condition barely improved. And by
July 1, he was rushed to the emergency room of the QI.
In addition to PTB, he now had pneumonia
He had to be confined at the
hospital. With no relatives in Metro Manila, he had no watcher.
He had no extra clothing while confined. Sometimes, watchers of other
patients took pity on him and brought him food and clothing.
They also watched over him. With no work for the day, he had no income
and could not buy the anti-TB and other antibiotics needed daily which cost
about P50 ($0.98) daily. He also
could not pay for the hospital bill of P2,890 ($56.74) for his X-ray and
laboratory exams. After seven
days of confinement, he died.
Another TB case is that of R.S, 48,
male, married who buys and sells junk materials.
His job provides him a very irregular source of monthly income which is
equivalent to that of a worker earning minimum wage.
His wife works as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia earning about
P7,000 ($137.43) a month which she sends home monthly to tide over their
remaining two children still studying in high school.
Their other two children are already married but often would run to
them for financial assistance.
In 1998, R.S. had difficulty of
breathing and was constantly coughing. He
went for consultation at the out-patient department of the Quezon Institute
and was diagnosed to have pulmonary TB and was enrolled at the DOTS
program. He improved a
little. By July 1,2001, he had to be rushed to the emergency room of QI
because he was already vomiting fresh blood. Aside from his anti TB medicines,
he needed anti-hemorrhagic injections, monitoring of his blood levels via his
blood exams. He was advised to
undergo a CT scan. The doctors
told him to prepare P100,000-P200,000 ($1,963.29-$3,926.57) for lung
operation.
His family sought help from the
hospital social service. Because he had a wife working abroad, he was
classified as capable of paying and given only a 20 percent discount.
R.S. and his family did not know where to get the money needed for the
operation. He went home against
medical advise..“I’d rather die at home than have my family be buried in
debt,” he said.
C.V., 60, male, married is another
diagnosed pulmonary TB case since 1994. He is a
pahinante at a trucking firm.
He sought the local health center for free
anti-TB medication, but many times medicines were not available.
He could buy medicines only when the family had money.
His inability to take the required
daily anti-TB medication did not improve his condition. He was twice confined
at the San Lazaro Hospital for long periods. On his third confinement last
July,2001, Mang Crispin died
after five days.
Of the three cases above, two are now
additional statistics to the ever increasing number of TB deaths in the
Philippines. There are a hundred more cases dying daily.
Tuberculosis kills 132 Filipinos daily, while some 100,000 Filipinos
contract the disease every year. The Department of Health confirmed that TB is
on the rise.
Like FS, RS and CV, the majority of
TB patients are poor whose income is not sufficient to provide for their
families basic needs. Seventy
percent of those afflicted with the disease are breadwinners. The majority of
TB cases among adults are not adequately treated, thus the disease is easily
passed on the their children which may explain why according to the World
Health Organization, 39 percent of Filipino children are afflicted with TB.
Tuberculosis is a disease that can be
treated for about P6,914 ($135.74), excluding doctor’s consultation fees.
One would need a chest x-ray to confirm diagnosis which costs
P100 at some government hospitals.
Most of the time, drugs are not available through the DOH DOTS program. The patient is forced to buy the multiple drug therapy for
the required six months which costs P6,714
or $131.82 (Mercury Drug price). Another x-ray is needed at the end of the
treatment.
The average daily expense for the
6-month treatment is P38.41 ($0.75). Most
poor families can not shoulder this additional expense for the sick member of
their family while still attending to their usual daily family needs. In usual cases, the TB-breadwinner patient is also unable to
work. According to a study
conducted by the Institute for Occupational Health Safety and Development last
January 2000, 80 percent of patients are dismissed from their job upon
diagnosis.
Tuberculosis remains to be a
sensitive index of the nation’s poverty.
The Philippines is still a world class record-holder for tuberculosis.
It has the highest incidence rate in the Western Pacific Region and the
4th highest in the world. This disease still continues to be in the
TOP 5 of the country’s leading causes of morbidity despite the advances of
modern technology.