When we go to the doctor’s clinic, medical center or hospital, we often overlook how much doctors contribute to the medical field. The long lines to see a doctor make people wonder, is there a shortage of primary care physicians in the Philippines? This article will discuss the doctor shortage of doctors in the country and why it is happening.
Why is there a shortage of doctors in the country?
There are a number of factors that contribute to this shortage.
Medical school is expensive.
The first factor that needs to be stated here is that medical school is extremely expensive. No matter how passionate a person is about curing people, if they do not have the money to pay for the steep tuition fees of medical school, they will not be able to become a doctor.
Many people who have the ambition and skill to become doctors are stopped because of the extremely high price of the tuition fee for medical school. On top of the tuition fee, there are other costs that accompany medical school – the uniforms, the medical tools you need and other fees. One thing is for sure, to become a doctor, you need a whole lot of money.
Many doctors leave the country.
There are many doctors that decide to leave the country and go abroad in search of greener pastures. Many doctors even choose to take up a second course and go abroad because they see that there is a better opportunity to earn in foreign countries.
Some doctors choose to become nurses; they invest in another course, another set of tuition fees, going back to school – just to be able to go abroad. This leads to a massive brain-drain and the lack of doctors here. There are so many good doctors that have left the country, also leaving a major unfulfilled need in the medical field.
The salary in the Philippines is not competitive enough.
In relation to doctors leaving the country, this is the main reason why. The fees they paid for medical school do not seem worth it because they are not earning enough while practicing in the field. These very skilled doctors are not paid enough. The stress they endure in the field, the long days are just too much in exchange for what they receive in salary. Most doctors are able to live comfortably, but they are not rich.
Lack of doctors in rural areas.
Most doctors want to set up their practice in big cities in the country. This leaves a major shortage for people who live in the provinces. This is one of the causes of why many patients have to commute to be able to get the proper care.
The public hospitals in the country would often be over-crowded and have a long line for the waiting list because of all the patients from nearby provinces. If there were good doctors in those rural areas, those patients will not have to travel so far just to get proper treatment.
Final thoughts
These are the reasons for the shortage of doctors in the country. and also the challenges that they create for the healthcare situation in the Philippines. The situation does not seem to be changing, but it does not change the fact that doctors do a lot for the community and they should be appreciated more.