By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com MANILA — Even for lowly jobs, Filipino are required to submit proofs of clean bill of health to show that they are fit. What more for the job of president of the Philippines? In a press conference Saturday, leaders of organizations of doctors, nurses and health workers reported the result of…
Category: Health
Benjie Oliveros | The Mighty Pharmaceutical Industry
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Analysis Bulatlat.com MANILA — Sen. Mar Roxas is raising hell about the alleged collusion between the Arroyo government and the pharmaceutical industry to delay if not derail the implementation of Republic Act 9502, or the “Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008,” which was signed on June 6, 2008. Among…
Activist Doctors in Davao Worry Over Their Safety After Colleague’s Killing
Dr. Rogelio Peñera, an AH1N1 expert with the health department killed on June 24, was also active in a group of progressive doctors who provide basic medical services to the poor. Five of his colleagues at the Davao City-based United Integrated Health Services Foundation are included in the military’s order of battle.
Tobacco farmers urge Congress to pass new tobacco tax measure
Tobacco farmers belonging to Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation (STOP-Exploitation) based in the Ilocos region urged their congressmen to support the bill that seeks to modify the taxes imposed on tobacco and liquor in the country. Avelino Dacanay, Chairman of STOP-Exploitation also urged the legislators coming from the Northern Luzon provinces to stop blocking the…
Poor and Sick Filipinos Pay Dearly for Failure of Cheaper-Medicines Law
A law passed last year to bring down the prices of drugs and medicines has not delivered on its promise, according to consumer and health advocates. It failed to break the stranglehold of huge transnational drug companies on the Philippine market. It also squandered an opportunity to develop the local pharmaceutical industry.
DOH to Train More Birth Attendants
By CJ KUIZON Regions Davao Today Posted by Bulatlat DAVAO CITY — The health department hopes to decrease by 75 percent the number of mothers who die during childbirth by increasing its pool of skilled birth attendants in the region. The Department of Health (DOH) has secured national funding for the Maternal Newborn, Child Health…
2 Test Positive for H1N1 in Cordillera
By LYN V. RAMO Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY— Two persons have tested positive for the influenza A (H1N1) virus in the Cordillera, the local Department of Health (DoH) revealed in a press briefing here late last week. Twelve more are identified as possibly infected. Earlier, on May 26, there were only four…
Diagnosing the Future of Community Medicine in the Philippines
Our country is in dire need of doctors for the people. The starkest indicator of this dilemma is the state of community medicine practice in the country and likewise the dwindling number of community physicians. BY PHILIP PARAAN Bulatlat.com Our country is in dire need of doctors for the people. The starkest indicator of this…
Not Just for the Vain and ‘Petty’
From augmenting nose bridges, breasts and butts to reducing excess flab, cosmetic surgeons have a way to make one look the way s/he desires. Cosmetic surgery has become a lucrative profession, attracting many doctors to specialize in this field. But far from the desire for the “ideal” face and a head-turning body, there are children…
Gov’t Hiding Real Plans for Proposed Integration – Health Workers
Health workers and union representatives of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC), which will be affected by the planned integration and creation of the Philippine Center for Specialized Health Care (PCSHC), said that the Department…
Office Merging 5 Gov’t Hospitals in Place
Government authorities appear in a hurry to integrate five public hospitals to promote medical tourism. However, there is as yet no law calling for the integration, health authorities are themselves divided on its wisdom and health workers are in protest. BY AUBREY SC MAKILAN Bulatlat.com There is yet no law integrating five public hospitals into…