The Philippines is short of 15,000 doctors to be able to adequately
meet the health needs of Filipinos each year, the Health Secretary said
Wednesday.
"We're producing only 2,600 a year," Department of Health Secretary Paulyn Rosell-Ubial told CNN Philippines' The Source.
Ubial, who traveled with her team to Cuba in August to observe that country's excellent health care system, pointed out that Cuba had a ratio of one doctor for every 1,075 patients.
The Philippines has a ratio of one doctor for every 33,000 persons, she said.
The Health Secretary said there's a lack of volunteers willing to go to rural areas. The Doctors to the Barrios program, which sends doctors to far-flung areas, can accommodate 398 doctors. However, 116 posts remain vacant.
To attract more doctors to the program, they have boosted the monthly salary to ₱56,000 ($1,170).
"The salary is very good, around ₱56,000 a month and benefits are also commensurate," Ubial said. "One other thing that we're trying to do is the PhilHealth reimbursement; if you work in a rural area, your reimbursement is higher," she added.
Source: CNN Philippines
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