by Sentinel Times Research Staff August 19, 2021 Quezon 4th district lawmaker and House of Representatives health committee chair Rep. Angel...
August 19, 2021
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| Quezon 4th district lawmaker and House of Representatives health committee chair Rep. Angelina "Helen" D.L. Tan. (Photo from her FB Page) |
LUCENA CITY - The good news, the measure meant to cope with any contagion or pestilence to hit the country, went through silk-smooth on third reading.
The reality is something else.
Quezon 4th district lawmaker and House of Representatives health committee chair Rep. Angelina "Helen" D.L. Tan's proposed law to bolster and expand the scope of the existing One Hospital Command Center has to go through a wringer of the lawmaking process before it becomes a part of the law of the land-- and a working, functioning institution.
Even so, Dr. Tan who is the measure's principal author welcomed the go-ahead. She stated that enactment of the measure is "urgently necessary to bridge the current fragmented health system in terms of service delivery across the spectrum of care by gatekeeping and navigating patients."
Once enacted into law, the Tan proposal-- the National Patient Navigation and Referral System Act-- can help the sick go through the manifold levels of the nation's healthcare system, gain access to appropriate health facilities.
As worded in the Tan-proposed Act, "will institutionalize and broaden the scope of the One Hospital COmmand System to become the National Patient Navigation and Referral System (NPNRS), its implementing arm, the National Patient Navigation and Referral Center (NPNRC) and the Regional Patient Navigation and Referral Centers (RPNRC) will expand its scope to get patients through the various levels of the health system to reach and access appropriate health facilities."
Or in simple English, three layers of medical bureaucracy are to be set up for processing and catering to the needs of the sick availing medical services of a health/hospital establishment in his/her locality.
Or, as the spirit and intent of the proposed statute suggests, patient data, including medical history is entered into a central databasa and is then fanned out in a bid to seek out suitable specialists nationwide who can be best suited to effect needful care and treatment.
The Department of Health has expressed support for approval of the Tan measure, citing that such connectivity among medical care providers nationwide can be a breathrough in the implementation of univeersal health care (UHC).
The Tan measure is to be passed on to Senate which crafts a similar measure that will go through the 1st, 2nd and 3rd readings-- a process that can take months after which provisions of House and Senate versions of the bill are reconciled in a conference committee. Reconciled versions are sent to Senate and House for approval before the approved measure is sent to Malacanang for enactment and, finally, implementation as law.
On the home front
Dr. Tan, aghast at rising levels of malnutrition among schoolchildren started out a grassroot program of nutribun distribution in local elementary schools-- nothing ambitious, not much multi-million peso funding at stake to get the program going.
But she got it going, then, pleaded to the provincial government to address the concern-- because malnutrition can rob the young of their brains and capacity for critical thinking.
"Think of our future, think of our children," she said.
In another area of concern Dr. Tan expressed alarm for the current state of the nation's health as she warned that the Philippine healthcare system is already on the "brink of collapse" because of the COVID-19 crisis, as the country's coronavirus cases breached the one million mark.
“We are already at the brink of a collapse of our health system capacity with more COVID-19 patients coming in, more infected healthcare workers, and lack of hospital beds. Aside from that, supply of vaccines from the start was scarce, and supply of medicines, such as remdesivir and others, are also declining due to high demand," she stated in her speech before the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Dr. Tan added: "To add more to our challenges, we have also been receiving news reports of hoarding COVID-19 vaccines and raw materials for its production, especially when the US invoked its National Defense Production Act, which would definitely shake the steady supply of vaccines around the globe."
The Ways and Means Committee gave the go-ahead to Dr. Tan's tax provisions of her proposed Substitute Bill on Health Procurement and Stockpiling Act that embodies strategies to combat the current health menace with a view to fit out preparations for coping with future outbreaks.
Grassroots approach a must
Citing findings, the physician lawmaker said that not more than 10 people out of 100 want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Tan noted that even health workers, and front liners are hesitant, even apprehensive to get vaccinated against the virulent respiratory malady.
In a broadcast interview she cited that “nurses, medtechs (medical technologists), even doctors (are hesitant). May mga ilan ako na-encounter na doctors na hindi magpapabakuna.”
“Kung hindi makakasama 'yung majority of our target population, magiging ineffective and inefficient ang vaccination program,” she warned.
As remedy to a worrisome turn in the vaccination scheme, Tan said the Department of Health and local government units need to step up their information dissemination campaign before program implementation.
A more workable campaign goes deep to the grassroots level to win hearts and minds, not just convincing acceptance of the target population. We cannot just rely on social media, the newspapers, and posters because we need to address a lot of questions, Tan pointed out.
“It's a newly introduced vaccine, so what is called for is likely focused group discussion, thresh out details in small group discussion to reach out Grassroot level talaga ang kailangan gawin,” she added.
Statistics from the Johns Hopkins University show that the Philippines is the 26th country in the world to reach the dire one million milestone, and the second in Southeast Asia.
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