BY CESAR D. CANDARI, MD FCAP EMERITUS
HENDERSON, NEVADA
FOR A NUMBER OF years before and after my retirement, I joined groups of medical missionaries to the Philippines. From 1987 (after the People Power Revolution) to the present, I participated to help the poor people in our country who needed medical care. In some instance, I was a leader in this project. The medical mission was the vanguard humanitarian endeavor of any Filipino medical and civic organizations. It showed no limits in their dedication, kindness, sympathy, charity, and genuine love for the poor people in our homeland. Looking back at my accomplishments thus far, I felt intense pleasure from knowing that I have touched many lives
The June 21, 2012 Republic Act No 8981 declared that the Philippine Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) has recently issued regulations for issuing temporary permits for the conduct of humanitarian missions by foreign medical professionals in the Philippines which will negatively impact all medical missions in the country. There are requirements regarding fees, administrative civil penal sanctions, liability malpractice insurance that unquestionably have a nefarious impact to Fil-Am doctors, nurses and dentists from foreign countries who conduct medical missions to the Philippines. We are infuriated about this arcane change of heart in our Motherland. I maybe wrong, but it is a blatant inanity that the PRC in our country are imposing unwarranted regulations.
As a result of this unilateral PRC decision, several missionary groups have cancelled their forthcoming Medical Mission projects to the Philippines. We feel we are unwanted. We are being subjected to superfluous administrative, civil, criminal and malpractice liabilities because of the unnecessary requirements. We do not wish to be subjected to unscrupulous/frivolous medical lawsuits in our humanitarian medical services to the Philippines. The PRC office says the regulations will be strongly implemented this year.
We are really hurt and feel the frustrations, if not disgruntled by our inability to render assistance to our poor kababayans. We pray that a waiver by the President of the Philippines to these PRC regulations must be instituted. This is of particular interest to us – a Filipino American doctor in this country who volunteer our services. A popular word of wisdom says: “Every good act is charity. A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.”
We have relentlessly done our calling for humanitarian medical services to our country for several years now – performed by several groups from all over the US. Many Filipino American doctors, nurses, and other civilian volunteers are organized for this purpose. Missionary’s services benefited the poor of the poorest in the different regions in the Philippines, who otherwise are unable to be seen by a physician in their whole life.
How frequent do we perform these medical missions? Some groups will go yearly, and others maybe twice or thrice yearly. These missionaries spend their own money and on top of that lose patients and daily income. Indeed, it is a sacrifice to do medical missions in general. What we spend for missions is not a joke! It is enormously expensive. Nonetheless, it is extremely uplifting to help our countrymen.
The following requirements are :
1. Copy of your passport (expiration date must not exceed 6 months prior to departure)
2. An authenticated copy of valid professional licenses issued by the country of origin
3. Proof of purchase of liability insurance in the Philippines
4. Special Temporary Permit ID
For former Filipino professionals who wish to renew their Philippine medical licenses:
1. A notarized application form to renew the
Philippine Medical License (PRC professional application form)
2. A photocopy of applicant’s passport (must not exceed 6 months prior
to departure)
3. Original and photocopy of previously issued Philippine Professional ID
Card
4. An authenticated original and photocopy of the License/Certificate of
Registration/Permit in the adopted country
5. Four (4) Passport size ID pictures
6. You will be assessed penalty for the number of years your license has
been allowed to expire.
Volunteers are required to pay P3,000.00 pesos for each application of Special Temporary Permit, and are also required to pay P8,000.00 pesos for the issuance of Special Temporary Permit ID. In terms of dollar value, this is equivalent to approximately $300.00 out of your pocket just to offer your voluntary services for the medical mission. For 15 to 20 doctors in the group will cost a significant amount of money. In addition, each MD volunteer has to purchase liability insurance in the Philippines. It is not only another expense but we have to submit ourselves to unnecessary exposures, frivolous lawsuits in the Philippines and probably subject to defense expenses, waste of time in court hearings and possibly lose of license. We, doctors are already burdened by enormous prices of liability insurance in America.
Like any surgery, it is difficult to predict when complications arise that includes post-operative bleeding, post-op infection, intra-operative or post-op death, and many others. There are many incentives for medical malpractice lawsuits especially when the Philippine lawyers assume Fil-Am doctors have the dollar. Whether there may have been incidents of medical complications incurred by previous medical/surgical missions resulting to implementation of stringent regulations is not clear.
The leaders of various Alumni and Physician organizations in America are in shock, obviously disappointed, and outrage of the PRC regulations. Some missionaries have been disheartened and rebutting the issues.
The PRC may have strong reason. I have, however, a strong suspicion that the presence of Filipino American doctors is anathema to the local doctors. Is this PRC regulations supported by the PMA of the Philippines? Universal HealthCare is now introduced by the Aquino administration. 5.2 million “poor households” that were identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development are covered by PhilHealth insurance and foreign doctors are therefore not needed? The budget that the government allocated for this year is P12 billlion to enroll the poorest Filipinos. According to Herbosa , DOH Undersecretary, “ the government is close to reaching 100% universal healthcare coverage for the population, as of today”.
As cancellations of medical missions are in progress, the ultimate victims will be the less fortunate Filipinos, the underserved people in the Philippines who have been the beneficiaries of these medical missions.
We, missionaries are driven by the desire to live in peace and nay- to find relief for the people from the specter of poverty. There is an expression of despair in their eyes. We love to serve our country; but if our country does not need us then we can probably seek for other alternatives. Our services are surely needed in other third world countries.
PRC another corrupt agency to steal money from foreign medical charitable organization. We give back to our dear PH our knowledge of modern technique, real medicines and knowhow professions to help the poorest of the poor communities. Wish Pinoy should understand this.
This PRC regulation is absurd! The hassle and fee requirements is outrageous! It only shows PRC is a “corrupt agency” trying to make “money machinery” out of “returning medical/ allied professionals” VOLUNTEERING their OWN (unpaid) TIME & MONEY just to join Philippine Medical Missions serving the poor and remote areas, who/which, otherwise would NOT HAVE ACCESS to these FREE TREATMENTS, MEDICATIONS, MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, and other forms of DONATIONS to those in poverty.
Mind you, each VOLUNTEER covers all his/her PERSONAL INDIVIDUAL EXPENSES just to join the Medical Mission Group, leaving their families behind in their adopted country, sacrificing NO INCOME during this period, fly across the miles just to give back to the poor of our Motherland Philippines.
MONEY DOESN’T GROW ON TREES! All Filipinos abroad sweat, sacrifice, and put up with the differences of co-workers wherever they may be. We experience Discrimination, Bullying, Loss of Jobs, Financial Problems, Personal Family Problems, and many other Unanticipated Problems that came along pre-destined in our lives, Morbidity or Mortality, and the surfacing of the Decline in Economy Worldwide. We are not exempt from Bankruptcies, Loss of Homes from Unaffordable Mortgages, Children’s College Expenses, Family Illness, and many other Expense-Related Assistance to needy Family and Relatives back home in the Philippines.
Here abroad, we have been exposed to liabilities in anything we do, and very adept with its extreme “litigious environment”. On account of this, Extreme PRIVACY is highly valued among us.
The PRC Regulatory Requirements will be a BIG TURN OFF among willing and able MEDICAL MISSION VOLUNTEERS!
On average, every (single) INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEER spends his/her own money, conservatively, at least $3,000.00 just to return to the PHL, to join and serve in the MEDICAL MISSION. This same person also becomes a TOURIST in our own country.
The Philippines WILL LOSE BOTH “TOURISM” and “MEDICAL MISSION” surges, due to the new demand of PRC REGULATIONS!
BE ALARMED! I’m speaking from reality. I’ve lived all my Professional Life here in the US, since 1973 (age-22), to the present (age-61). We’re retirees in the RN/MD profession, worked 39 years, owned properties, sent 3 children through college education, shouldered family expenses in the PHL & here abroad, experienced financial losses/problems, was victimized financially by co-Filipinos, and many other trials and tribulations that befall us all in common.
Will PRC continue to make it hard and implement severe restictions to “would be VOLUNTEERS to PHL MEDICAL MISSIONS, NOW, and in the FUTURE?
PAG-ISIPANG MABUTI ang IDUDULOT na BALAKID ng PRC Regulation among Medical Mission Volunteers.
Di na lang kaya ako sasama, at bibisita ng Pilipinas, mga Kabayan! Dito pa lang, pugrot na nga ako, eh! Dyan pa?
Esperanza:
You have said it all.Thank you.
The PRC is now under pressure.
Let us make our comments to be heard by those
anti Samaritans!
Doc C
here are very legitimate issues raised here ton fightand win a corruptn system as the PRC or whoever it is in PRC who concucted such generlly absurd ideas. I nsaygenerally because there are also a few good point in there thatdeserves looking into.
Perhaps we should not blame PRC in its entirety but woever come up with such idea (perhaps for lack of something more constructive to do), nor P’noy for his hands is also tied with so may corruption issues to address. Let us form an organize front overseas, a pernament advisory of advocacy can help the administration or (good) legislators back home who would want to contribute to a change for the better. Such advocacy can mature and be an effective tool for preserving the good that had been achieved by any adminstration regardless of political ideologies and beliefs. Let the strenght of our ideas and concerns find its way into the law of the land no matter which leadership or political parties is rigthly or wrongly voted into position or power.
The fate and endurance of justice and democracy and the country need not just rely on who is running the government but most WE THE PEOPLE if we create the mechanism for it. Let us be proactive. and by the way there is a Chinese saying that says …’the longest journey8 of a thousand miles starts with the first step’. Who makes that first step? let us say we start looking from the Medical and Nursing associations here in America and we go from there. I will be with you guys on that first step and further as needed
Rules are rules. The PRC requirements are reasonable and not as onerous as you guys describe them. Accusing the PRC as corrupt has no basis in fact, mga doktor Amboys. Your threats are empty unless you put your money where your mouths are. Kung ayaw ninyong magbayad ng fees, e di huwag kayong pumunta dito. Ano kayo, espesyal dahil state-side na kayo at pa-werswers ang ingles?
Vir, alam namin ang systema nyo dyan. Kung restricted nyo ang servicio namin maputol na ang pagmamahal sa aming kapwa. Mga bureaucrat dyan ang nagpahirap sa condition. Mga mahihirap dyan, mahal namin na matutulongan. Binalik namin ang makakaya kahit magastos sa pera at panahon. Kung ganon na sobra ang restriction, huwag nalang.
Obviously, the PRC did not put much thought in designing the regulations they concocted to limit medical/surgical missions rendering free medical/surgical services to the Philippines. I wonder if they thought of obtaining opinions from those involved in these humanitarin endeavors. I take it that this was not done, otherwise, they would not have imposed such stringent requirements. As someone who was privileged to have joined in some of these “work of mercy and labor of love”, I can say without reservations that the services and sacrifices rendered were nothing in comparison to feeling of satisfaction felt after every mission I was part of. It is probably trite to say, but I felt like some if not most of these dedicated missionaries….that we were doing it more for ourselves, our own satisfaction and own feelings that we are somehow giving back. Having said so, it will be the Philippines’ loss if such PRC ruling will indeed curtail or put an end to these medical missions. How sad!
IF I WERE U AMBOYS DOCTORS, I WILL NOT SWEAT IT. GO TO VIETNAM OR BANGLADESH INSTEAD. YOU WILL BE APPRECIATED THERE.
Hi Albert:
Our services are surely needed in other third world countries.
Africa, India,Vietnam, Nepal, Nicaragua, Belize, Peru will welcome missionaries and none
of these countries requires to pay any permit or temporary license or purchase
liability insurance. What is needed is simply the submission of CV, diploma, and
current medical license.
Doc CDC
We, my wife and I, were active participants of a medical mission group until we woke up and realized that we were being used by the local politicians to benefit themselves. How many times that we heard them announce to their constituents that “I sponsored these group of doctors, dentists, nurses and support staff from America: paid for their airfare, accommodations, food including their “merienda” in order to provide your necessary health care. They brought their medicines and medical equipment that they will leave behind to be donated to our hospital”. It was sickening to say the least, having to listen to such false claims.
Furthermore, we made the expressed intent to provide medical care for the poor people who cannot afford to pay for their care, yet “special” lines would show up headed by the wife of some politician while the poor people who often had to walk from far distant location have to wait and in some cases, head back home without being seen by any member of the group. It was sickening to say the least. From then on, we decided to call it quits. Some continued despite such hard to swallow lies, perhaps for reasons of their own, like having to visit the homeland, on a regular basis with the additional benefit of a tax write off. I must admit that it provided us with the opportunity to have visited various parts of the islands, that was beyond our means before we came to this country.
And now, these new “regulatory” requirements that will add additional “income” for the corrupt staff of whoever will be in charge of such plan. “It is akin to the final nail to the coffin”. All I can say is God bless the poor people of our homeland.
Roger, I fully agree with your sentiments and comments. I refuse to be “used” by the dysfunctional government of the “Sick Man of Asia” and have decided to quit volunteering.
The handwriting is on the wall, all humanitarian missions being conducted in our country are probably being looked at by some members of our government as an embarrassment because of their inability to provide these much needed services to our own citizens. They already did it to the US Military by kicking them out of the country, they feel that the US presence is making our country looked inferior in terms of military might, which is true anyway. Or it could be that there’s no money in it for them, so they are putting the lid on all these missions.
If anything at all the Philippines should house and feed these volunteers,enough with corruption and let us help the true indigents not the ones who know people that operate the system,we only live once, the soul that you save just maybe your own!