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"Shifting to cloud-based technologies, he added, will boost and enhance the public health-care system benefiting the whole health-care ecosystem with solutions for big data analytics, on-demand health care, virtual reality, artificial-intelligence tools for treatment, blockchain technology for electronic health records, and other applications that should be accessible through mobile networks."' (as cited in “Digital Health Could Reduce Cost of Health services—DOH Official,” 2021)

Digital health could reduce cost of health services—DOH official. (2021, July 7). Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://www.pids.gov.ph/details/digital-health-could-reduce-cost-of-health-services-doh-official

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Digital health could reduce cost of health services-DOH official

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Digital health or e-health, particularly telemedicine, has the potential to reduce the cost of health services. Dr. Enrique Tayag, chair o

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Ken Research. (2021, March 5). Future Growth of Health Tech Market In Philippines.  https://www.kenresearch.com/blog/2021/03/future-growth-of-health-tech-market-in-philippines-ken-research/

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"He said that ideally, the government should no longer treat the Coronavirus pandemic as an emergency, but as “something that we will have to manage forever like the flu pneumonia.”" (as cited in Galvez, 2022)

Galvez, D. (2022, October 21). Marcos says to name DOH chief once COVID-19 situation normalizes. Inquirer. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1682896/marcos-says-to-name-doh-chief-once-covid-19-situation-normalizes

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MANILA, Philippines - The appointment of a health secretary would only happen once the COVID-19 situation in the country has normalized.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday released a statement to explain the delay in appointing a new Health chief.

He said that ideally, the government should no longer treat the Coronavirus pandemic as an emergency, but as "something that we will have to manage forever like the flu pneumonia."

However, he also explained it could affect health worker benefits, vaccinations and medical supplies, and the indemnity fund, among other things, because it could entail lifting the nationwide state of calamity designation.

"Sa ngayon, naghahanap kami ng paraan para ma-normalize na natin at hindi na natin kailangan sabihin na ang Pilipinas ay [nasa] state of calamity pa rin," he said in an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the 48th Philippine Business Conference and Exposition 2022 at Manila Hotel.

(For now, we in the government are finding ways to normalize the situation so that we can no longer say that the Philippines is still in a state of calamity.)

"Paabutin natin doon and then we will normalize also all the reorganization of the government," Marcos added.

(Let's get there and then we will normalize also all the reorganization of the government.)

Pressed about when he plans to appoint a Department of Health (DOH) chief, Marcos said: "When that happens, when [what] I just explained happens, na maayos na, ma-normalize na (when it's fine, normalized)," he said.

"I want the people to understand that this is the government's work, not everything is a crisis, so i-normalize natin ang trabaho ng gobyerno (let's normalize the work of the government)," the President added.

The President also explained that with this approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines will be able to further open up its economy and make it "more hospitable to travelers both business and tourist."

"We have to get away from the emergency stance of the DOH because we have to open up businesses, we have to make the Philippines more hospitable to travelers both business and tourist, and it does not help if we are still under a state of calamity. Kailangan pa nating ayusin 'yun (We still need to fix that)," he said.

Currently, an officer-in-charge is heading the DOH - Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, also the agency's spokesperson.

The remarks of Marcos regarding arranging the stewardship of the DOH came in light of the detection and confirmed local transmission of the XBB Omicron subvariant and XBC variant in the Philippines.

XBB is reportedly "highly immune-evasive" as people with antibodies against COVID-19 could still acquire it.

It is also said that XBB, a recombinant of BJ.1 (BA.2.10.1 sublineage) and BM.1.1.1 (BA.2.75 sublineage), is causing the case surge in Singapore.

KGA/abc

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

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Marcos says to name DOH chief once COVID-19 situation normalizes

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MANILA, Philippines - The appointment of a health secretary would only happen once the COVID-19 situation in the country has normalized. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday released a statement to explain the delay in appointing a new Health chief.

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@inquirerdotnet [Inquirer]. (2022, October 21). ‘NOT EVERYTHING IS A CRISIS.’ Twitter. https://twitter.com/inquirerdotnet/status/1583407771168690177

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"In a statement Wednesday, the Filipino Nurses United said the offer of better job opportunities and higher pay of other countries have attracted massive migration of Filipino nurses." (as cited in “Philippines Urged To Address Exodus Of Nurses As NZ Offers Medical Workers Residency,” 2022)

Philippines urged to address exodus of nurses as NZ offers medical workers residency. (2022, December 14). Philstar. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/12/14/2230776/philippines-urged-address-exodus-nurses-nz-offers-medical-workers-residency

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MANILA, Philippines - An organization of nurses called on the government to address the problem of migration of health workers following New Zealand's offer of residency to overseas nurses and midwives.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that the government is offering healthcare workers from abroad an immediate pathway to residency as the country addresses an acute shortfall of medical staff.

In a statement Wednesday, the Filipino Nurses United said the offer of better job opportunities and higher pay of other countries have attracted massive migration of Filipino nurses.

"With the increasing economic crisis of the Filipino families, the offer of residency in a country such as New Zealand will be truly enticing and definitely an additional push factor for nurses to leave their local nursing jobs," FNU said.

"Our country itself is in dire need of nursing and health services. Amidt the availability of nurses, our public health care system has not absorbed them so that it can respond to our people's health needs," it added.

According to the organization, only 172,589 out of 617,898 Filipino nurses are employed locally.

To address the mass exodus of nurses, FNU renewed its calls for an increase of nurses' salary to P50,000 monthly, mass hiring of additional 52,000 nurses in public health and in hospitals, and regularization of contractual nurses.

Last September, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to improve the working conditions of nurses in the country and address pay disparity between nurses in government hospitals and those in private health facilities.

"As long as nurses' welfare remain neglected and are abused as health workers in the healthcare system, with very low pay, suffering from chronic and severe understaffing that lead to over extended duty hours without commensurate pay and overtime pay, work and patient overload, more and more Filipino nurses are pushed to leave the country," it said. - Gaea Katreena Cabico

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Philippines urged to address exodus of nurses as NZ offers medical workers residency

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MANILA, Philippines - An organization of nurses called on the government to address the problem of migration of health workers following New Zealand's offer of residency to overseas nurses and midwives. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that the government is offering healthcare workers from abroad an immediate pathway to residency as the country addresses an acute shortfall of medical staff.

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Ortiga, Y. Y. (2018). Learning to Fill the Labor Niche: Filipino Nursing Graduates and the Risk of the Migration Trap [Line chart]. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, ₄(1), 172–187. https://doi.org/10.7758/rsf.2018.4.1.10

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"According to a study done on Filipinos by PhilCare, "only 7.4% of 1,500 respondents do not self-medicate.  The majority, meanwhile, self-medicate…”" (as cited in Mirasol, 2022)

Mirasol, P. B. (2022, February 2). Dr. Google, self-medicating preferred by Filipinos— survey. BusinessWorld. https://www.bworldonline.com/health/2022/02/02/427233/dr-google-self-medicating-preferred-by-filipinos-survey/

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FILIPINOS would rather Google medical information and self-medicate than consult a doctor, according to a recent survey.

A 2021 wellness index by health maintenance organization PhilhealthCare, Inc. () found that only 7.4% of 1,500 respondents do not self-medicate.

The majority, meanwhile, self-medicate because they have been able to treat themselves before (with 28.6% strongly agreeing and 40.3% agreeing); they are also able to seek advice from friends and family (28.6% strongly agreeing and 43.1% agreeing), and search online for medical information (25.5% strongly agreeing and 40.2% agreeing).

"We are not at all surprised with this result, especially if you view it from the context of how the pandemic has changed the mindset of Filipinos when it comes to health," said Joseph Agustin "Jaeger" L. Tanco, PhilCare president and chief executive officer, in an e-mail to BusinessWorld. Mr. Tanco noted that Filipino workers now see healthcare as among the top things they value in a workplace.

The PhilCare survey also found that Filipinos would rather do online research than online consultation. Almost half of the respondents said they are not comfortable consulting a doctor online or over the telephone. Another 39% said they prefer not to spend on a new consultation to get prescription refills.

Inasmuch as health professionals use online platforms to disseminate health-related information, the medium can also provide a fertile ground for misinformation.

A January 2021 study at the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that the prevalence of health misinformation was high on the following public health issues: smoking products, drugs, and vaccines. The study also singled out as the social media platform with the highest prevalence of health misinformation.

"We need to rethink the way health is delivered, especially under this so-called next normal. That way, people still get the professional healthcare that they need, while addressing their anxiety resulting from the pandemic," said Mr. Tanco, adding telemedicine should gain more traction.

"Despite being less anxious about going to hospitals as compared to 2020, Filipinos still worry about getting COVID-19 if they [have to] physically go there to get medical attention," he added.

The heightened need for health, coupled with the worry of getting COVID-19 in hospitals, has resulted in the decision to self-medicate among many Filipinos, according to Mr. Tanco.

Self-medication is the use of drugs to treat self-diagnosed medical conditions. Without medical guidance, self-medication can lead to incorrect or inappropriate therapy, missed diagnoses, increased morbidity, and resistance to antibiotics .

Antimicrobial resistance stems from "superbugs" evolving from the misuse of antibiotics. It caused the deaths of 1.27 million people in 2019 - higher than HIV/AIDS or malaria, per the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance report .

The PhilCare Wellness Index was conducted via a nationwide telephone survey Sept. 4-20, 2021. A majority of the respondents - who were randomly selected from Metro Manila and 65 provinces - are employees (96.1%), with 64.5% working for private firms.

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Dr. Google, self-medicating preferred by Filipinos - survey - BusinessWorld Online

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FILIPINOS would rather Google medical information and self-medicate than consult a doctor, according to a recent survey. A 2021 wellness index by health maintenance organization PhilhealthCare, Inc. () found that only 7.4% of 1,500 respondents do not self-medicate.

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(Pharmacy and Poisons Board Kenya, 2021)

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Pharmacy and Poisons Board Kenya. (2021). Dangers of Self-Medication [Infographic]. Twitter.com.
https://twitter.com/ppbkenya/status/1385129748213415938

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Philippines: Government Rejects UN Injunctions on Abortion

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"Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said the Philippine delegation rejected the recommendations outright "because of national identity, our religious beliefs and our cultural traditions and the Philippine sovereignty that need to be protected and defended at all times."" (as cited in "Philippines: Government Rejects UN Injunctions On Abortion," 2022)

Philippines: Government Rejects UN Injunctions on Abortion. (2022, December 6). FSSPX.Actualités / FSSPX.News. https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/philippines-government-rejects-un-injunctions-abortion-78346

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Last week, Philippine leaders once again rejected pressure from the United Nations to legalize the killing of unborn children in their country through abortion. In what was probably an attempt to test the new Philippine government, the UN had asked them to apply the recommendations of the international body.

The Manila Times reported that "the Philippines has rejected outright the recommendation of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) to legalize same-sex marriage, as well as to allow abortion and divorce." This demand was made by other UN member states during last week's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva.

The UPR is a peer review mechanism that regularly assesses the promotion and protection of human rights in the 193 member states of the United Nations.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said pro-abortion recommendations made by the UN Human Rights Council last week in Geneva are "not acceptable."

The Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country, protects unborn babies by banning abortions. But, like other pro-life countries, its leaders continue to come under intense pressure from world powers to legalize abortion on demand.

Contrary to National Identity

"It's a matter of policy whether we accept it or not and I think we know as a country we are not ready for that," Remulla said at a Monday press briefing. .

"Culturally, our values may conflict with many of the values that they (Western countries) want to impose upon us. We are not ready for that, culturally we are not ready for that. That is our position right now," he added.

"Actually, I think we are the only country together with the Vatican that still does not recognize divorce," Remulla said.

Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said the Philippine delegation rejected the recommendations outright "because of national identity, our religious beliefs and our cultural traditions and the Philippine sovereignty that need to be protected and defended at all times."

Mr. Vasquez has also criticized pro-abortion leaders who attack his country because its laws protect babies in their mother's womb.

"These are the usual countries that always pick on the Philippines. These are the rich countries from Europe that are very, very high on individual rights and have no notion of community rights. But I think we did very well," Vasquez said, according to the Manila Times. Pro-life leaders say United States President Joe Biden has also lobbied pro-life countries to legalize abortion.

It should be remembered that abortion is the first cause of death in the world. Each year, between 42 and 73 million unborn babies are aborted around the world, placing the killing of the innocent by far at the top of the annual list of causes of death.

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Philippines: Government Rejects UN Injunctions on Abortion

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Last week, Philippine leaders once again rejected pressure from the United Nations to legalize the killing of unborn children in their country through abortion. In what was probably an attempt to test the new Philippine government, the UN had asked them to apply the recommendations of the international body.

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Lustan, E. (2022). Banning abortion kills women in the Philippines [Infographic]. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2022/11/Banning-abortion-kills-women-in-PH.jpg