Traditional medicine should not be disregarded

Affordable health care costs for every one

Rizal Philippines
April 27, 2016

There was a recent feature at K the knowledge channel about herbal and traditional medicine.  The spiralling and skyrocketing health care costs in the Philippines has led many citizens, the masa to seek the traditional and herbal medicine route..  Since Western medicine was not well known in China, the most common cures were the traditional Chinese cures of herbs and acupuncture, and acupressure.  In India, it is the Ayurvedic medicine.

The Philhealth and the govt thrust to build more private hospitals (mostly doctors hospital) did not bring down health care costs.  Paramount in the goal of the new hospitals is profit.  It is odd for doctors hospital to pursue that because it is not within the Hippocrates oath to pursue that as a goal.  But the new hospitals organized by the new entrepreneurs would like to make quick ROI, pay of their loan and get rich.  Well they have new equipment and the latest (In most of the business plan of doctors, they, like their Western counterparts, spent so much time with med equipment detailman) that to cure they would like to have the latest most exp;expensive costs thus layering their costs.

For 70% of the population, seeing a doctor is a big problem, because it is very costly. And thus will die of the disease or will not see a health professional in their lifetime. The lowest consultation fee for MDs is P500.00 per visit.  It is rather unsavory to experience that these professionals will pick your brains over a dinner but will not waive their professional fees when you visit them.  Ha6.

A hospital stay of two to three days can inflict sickness in your pocket

What can be done:

1.  Bring back the traditional medicine. Encourage more hilots and herbalist

2.   Have more training or parallel training for natural doctors or traditional medicine man

3.  Re align the objectives of the govt in lending to individuals who want to put up hospitals.  Ask for the social commitment

4. Have more of MDs to the barrio program.  Encourage more MDs to stay here in the country.

5. Put caps in Philhealth to avoid abuse of the funds

6. Have more education of the public to prevent sickness rather than cure diseases.  Refer to cheapcures