ENGLISH 10 – World Literature
Second Trimester --S.Y. 2023-2024
CN 13 Name Dy, Kate Danielle B. Date March 1, 2024
Grade 10- H Teacher Sir Louie Mendoza
FINAL PERFORMANCE TASK (WRITTEN OUTPUT)
Final Argumentative Essay
Healthcare Access Challenges in the Philippines
Is quality healthcare truly a right for all, or a luxury reserved for the privileged few?
According to the Department of Health(DoH), 50% of Filipinos, which is half of the
population, do not have access to a nearby health facility within the standard time
frameset mandated by the government which is 30 minutes. Although our healthcare
administrators are doing their best to foster a progressive environment, there is still a
huge gap between the public and private sectors. Our public sectors lack medical
supplies, healthcare workers, and overall support from the government. Public hospitals
that are handled by the government, have limited access to sufficient healthcare services
and supplies, which can be solved with proper funding from the government to ensure an
equipped and prepared healthcare system for our country’s welfare and prosperity.
There has been a lingering problem affecting the wellbeing of Filipinos which
involves a critical shortage of necessities, especially in rural areas, in the public hospitals
of the Philippines. Many citizens are left to struggle for access to quality medical care.
There is an emphasis in quality as we consider situational examples that have occurred
in recent years. There was a man who was involved in an accident and was in need of a
surgery but he did not have the money nor medical insurance to make up for the costs of
the surgery. As a result, he was forced to endure that condition until he had to live with a
disability. The lack of funding to our healthcare system is, as we all know, deeply rooted
in corruption. In Abrea’s online article, he talks about 4 different syndromes of corruption
which includes Oligarch-and-Clan Corruption. The Philippines is surely familiar with this
as Oligarchs, also known as political families, abuse their power for their own personal
gain, or their families.” In the case of the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses, which was
estimated to be up to $10 billion based on now-deleted Guinness World Records and
cited as the biggest robbery of a government.” (Abrea) The government In the Philippines
doesn’t prioritize the Filipino’s needs as much as they need to, rather they focus on their
own malicious and greedy efforts. Hence, a small sum of the funds are allocated in the
healthcare system which leads to inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, and most
especially, brain drain.
Our government has to prioritize the nation’s needs, not only through words but
through concrete action exhibiting true hard work and dedication for the betterment of our
country’s healthcare system. Only a highly equipped and dedicated medical
administration committed to providing for the nation’s needs can bridge the healthcare
gap in the Philippines. The healthcare facilities in the Philippines, as said, currently have
limited access to basic quality health care involving the necessities for staffed facilities
and adequate equipment. “Health care is becoming more expensive due to “high-cost
pharmaceuticals, new diagnostics and procedures, and overprescribing of low-value
health tests and procedures,” the consulting firm observed.”(Raymond) This calls for a
change in priorities, urging against the allocation of the government’s funds towards less
critical projects. Over the years, the government’s funding to hospitals is drastically
declining. The allocations for hospitals were lowered, such as The Lung Center of the
Philippines (LCP) by 32.8%, National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) by 26.3%,
Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) by 34.5%, and Philippine Heart Center
(PHC) by 14.8%. These decreases will further heighten the inaccessibility to health
services and higher the chances of cases of deaths and morbidity. Despite the
shortcomings of our government, the choice is upon them to make up for it and grab the
opportunity in equipping themselves with the knowledge, resources, and solutions in
order foster a environment where Filipinos will be cared for and healthcare wouldn’t be a
privilege but a birthright to all.
When the Philippines has reached the pinnacle of success in securing a bright
future with enough funds from our public administration, our nation may finally prosper
with a high quality and prepared healthcare system. This vision can’t happen in an
instance, but realistic possibility to achieve through the efforts shown by our government
and/or administration. They will invest in accessible equipment and services for public
sectors, modernization of clinics and hospitals, and overall the entirety of the healthcare
system in the Philippines. The Filipino Nurses United(FNU) said in the Inquirer’s article,
“Public health care should be strengthened by providing an adequate budget for essential,
life-saving medicines, vaccines, modern equipment and ensuring adequate nurses and
other health care workers.” Furthermore, our administration shouldn’t focus on short-term
goals over gains that are long-term. They would understand that investing In our
healthcare system equates to investing in our nation’s citizens and future.
Regardless of the shortcomings of our government, we cannot ignore that an
abundant amount of Filipinos advocate for a focus on budget allocation on other matters.
Namely, these can be education, transportation, the building of infrastructure, etc. Yet
again, how can any of these concerns be established and taken care of if we do not have
the fit laborers in good shape to do so? A healthy population is a productive population
since we have one that is growing rapidly. In building the structure of healthcare in the
Philippines by budgeting accordingly, we are able to nurture talent, support growth as a
society, and foster development.
With the situation of the Philippines wherein public healthcare facilities lack access
to basic quality healthcare and shortages of healthcare necessities, our government
needs a sufficient budget the public health sector in order for us to prosper as a nation
with a high-quality and prepared healthcare system. Although, in accomplishing this
dream, there will be challenges in overcoming corruption and securing fundings. The
Philippines can transform our healthcare landscape not only for our present generation
but for future generations to come, where access to healthcare is not a privilege but a
birthright to all. This means directing government funds away from less critical projects.
With these changes, our nation can prosper and sustain a high-quality healthcare system.
This topic is crucial,. Therefore, we need to take a strong stance and spread awareness
across our nation globally using social media. Highlighting its importance through our
online platforms to reach as many people as possible is crucial. The healthcare systems
in the Philippines demand immediate attention and decisive action. As we reflect, the
solution lies not only on policy changes but also in raising awareness. We can only be
one as a nation by collectively caring for our country and its citizens.
Works Cited
Abrea, Raymond. “A look at how corruption works in the Philippines”. Inquirer.net, 13
March 2023,
https://business.inquirer.net/390650/a-look-at-how-corruption-works-in-the-philippines
Piedad, Maricar. “Under the knife: the 2024 health budget”. Ibon.org, 8 September
2023,
https://www.ibon.org/2024p-health-cuts/
Chanco, Boo. “Philippines healthcare unaffordable”. Philstar, 5 July 2019,
https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/07/05/1932014/philippines-healthcare-
unaffordable
Dela Pena, Kurt. “P296.3-B health budget for 2023: Higher but still ‘not enough’.
Inquirer.net, 24 August 2022,
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1652623/p296-3-b-health-budget-for-2023-higher-but-still-
not-enough
