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HEALTH ECONOMICS ESSAY ENTRIES

N.B. THESE ESSAYS ARE UNEDITED AND MAY CONTAIN GRAMMATICAL ERRORS. YOU CAN CAST YOUR VOTE BASED ON YOUR OWN CRITERIA. THESE ARE FROM YOUNG WRITERS SO I AM SURE YOU WILL ENJOY READING. DO NOT FORGET TO CAST YOUR VOTE AT THE SIDE BAR OF THE HOME PAGE BEFORE YOU LEAVE.THANK YOU. BY THE WAY, THE FIRST PRIZE IS P 1,000, 2ND PRIZE - P 500 AND 3RD PRIZE - P 300. GOOD LUCK TO ALL.

ESSAY NO. 1

Living with Hope

For me, I grew up in a very beautiful and one of a kind country that often times in my childhood years I was always filled with hope and dreams for it for I believe that my country was simply the best! And I’m a proud Filipino-child. But as time goes by its’ funny how my perception changed and I became pessimistic for my beloved country.

As I grew up I became aware that it has a cancer cause by selfishness of people, corruption, dishonesty, crimes…etc. and the cure for its cancer is nowhere to be found. But though a big part of me changed, still that childhood piece of me keeps on believing that there is still something to look forward for my country. Not because of the people around me, the incumbent government people nor because of Lucio Tan, Kris Aquino, Wilma Galvante and other rich and famous people but simply because, once and for all I am existing. I can make a difference.

As a kid, I always dreamt to be a doctor and as I am taking my way up to it, I encountered this question: If you will be the future Director of Department of health, how will address the health problems of your country? Actually, for awhile, NAPAISIP AKO, then these questions pop-up in my mind… PAANO NGA BA? MAGSUSUBMIT PA BA AKO? WAG NALANG KAYA... But then, I realize that what if one day Pres. Noynoy Aquino jr. or Health Secretary Enrique Onna will be browsing the net and miraculously read this post? It will be then an opportunity for me to voice out what the health-sector of the Philippines really need, improve and change. And so,

I am writing now in behalf of the 3 kids who die every minute because of malnutrition, for the health of 150 million young people who use tobacco because of lax implementation of law in selling tobaccos, for the maternal health of women, for the forgotten provinces in the Philippines which are not benefiting in any health programs by our government, and most of all for the infants who are just about to experience life.

I would now point out my goal as inspired by the Alma Ata: Health for all! Health for the Filipino’s ;) and that if, I will be the future Director of health I will guarantee health improvement and health accessibility, availability, affordability for everyone. And to achieve this, I would first STOP, LOOK and LISTEN to my fellowmen on what they really need.

As the position is given to me, the first thing that I will do of course is to build my hope in GOD. I will entrust everything in him because in him all things are possible, all things work together for good. After that, I will take a STOP, on continuing some project in my department since I will LOOK into them first by LISTENING to my fellowmen if that program is really working and appropriate for them.

After which, I will build good rapport with the leaders of each region in the Philippines as well as to the tribe leaders of each indigenous groups. I will do this to know more about the general and specific needs of their people. As I’ve checked their needs, I will then check each region’s resources on health, transportation, communication, economy, livelihood, geographical and physical environment, as well as regions’ funds, belief, traditions, socio and demographic data and these steps will then be my basis for implementing programs for people.

In cases where labor or human resources are insufficient ( For example the shortage for doctors, nurses, medical technologist. etc.) I will then do the following procedures. I will provide incentives, good working condition and salary for them.

The funds will be coming from the national funds as well as from the NGOs. But of course before that, I will conduct some consecutive and regional seminar and consultation talk with these health professional to 1st convince them to stay and served the country,2nd to know their side and sentiments and lastly to make programs and steps on their situations.

In cases of insufficient funds, I will conduct a lifestyle check on my employees under the department of health because I believe that the Philippines is a rich country, it’s just that there is an ill distribution of wealth because of CORRUPTION. And if someone in my department is involve with corruption and caught pocketing the nations’ funds I will never think twice to remove him/her in my dept. And so as I have learned much about each region’s needs, I will now formulate programs for each region.

I will not formulate uniform program for the whole Philippines because I believe that the demands of each region is unique and entirely different from the needs of other region (except for region having common factor). After that I will now consider strengthening and strict implementations of laws concerning each program.

I will do a quarterly analysis/ check for my short-term goals and semi-annual for my long-term goals. This is to make sure that the programs are effective and working as well as to protect the funds from useless project. Then yearly I will implement a satisfaction survey in every community-region as to reflect the nation’s health condition.

If something will be erroneous I will then assess it again and do the appropriate steps like what are mention above. Until I achieve my ULTIMATE GOAL which is Health for all! Health for the Filipino’s.

They say that GREAT POWER COMES WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY. Truly like being the Director of Health, having the position is not a joke and the responsibilities of being such are very huge. It’s very challenging to be an instrument for change especially in a system eaten by graft and corruption.

But I know that as long as I will go against its flow, as long as I will live with courage, dedication, patient, honesty, truth and integrity, I can change tomorrow. I can make a change. I can make a difference. It will be a better Philippines.



ESSAY NO. 2

If I have given a chance to be the DOH director, I will improve and focus in implementing of the supply of medicines in all barangays through this by the enough supply of medicines in all barangays it’s a big help to our fellow Filipino’s who our really in need, who are sick and to those who can’t affordto buy medicines.

Through this we can help them to cure their diseases. By doing this they don’t hesitate to go to our barangay’s to ask some help. Because in our time now we are prone to different diseases especially those who close to squatting area. In this simple way of implementing this programing all the barangay’s there’s a lot of people who can benefit this and lessen the morbidity rates. Some people will lessen their burden because there are free medicines that can cure and can prevent their illness.

They won’t use a lotof money to buy their own medicine. In our country’s status nowadays we need free medicines to help other people who can’t afford to buy medicines because of lack of money.

Some Filipinos think that instead of buying medicines they will they just buy foods for their families. Supplying of medicines in every barangay’s should implement properly, orderly and regularly so that many people can benefit it and can help them in their health needs and problems.

Medicines are really important to us in most especially in our health bit because some medicines are too expensive we can’t afford to buy but because of implementing this program can prevent having sickness



ESSAY NO. 3

If I would be the head of the DOH I would like to improve the water and sanitation in our country by giving them more information about what will be the causes on their health. Diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery we can get to contaminated water sources. Diarrhea is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. In 2009 diarrhea was estimated to have caused

1.1 million deaths in people aged 5 and over and 1.5 million deaths in children under the age of 5. Proper Sanitation it plays a very important role in our health it is where we can get all the diseases might lead us to death. Clean water and knowing the proper sanitation can lessen the mortality rate of the people dying because of unsafe water and improper sanitation.

Another job opportunities for Filipinos. Helping our fellowmen increase their lives in their own country will be a great accomplishment for us to unite them with their family and will learn to love our country.

To be able to learn we also need to focus in the schools. Giving children good schools will encourage and inspire them to go to school and learn. As Dr. Jose Rizal quote “AngKabataanangpag-asangbayan”.

We can stick to this quote but first we must educate them to learn especially nowadays in our generation the young ones were very talented that they have wide imaginations that can be a great help for the improvement of our country.



ESSAY NO. 4


As I sit in this chair, staring at this wooden desk filled with paper works left unaccomplished, I can smell that a lot has to be done. With the current situation of our health care system here in the Philippines, we are a lot far from achieving an ideal health care system like that of Canada where you pay virtually nothing when it comes to health.

Yes I am aware that it is quite absurd to even think of transforming the country’s health system to that of Canada. But come to think of it, in a year, a lot can happen. The world may turn upside down; therefore there is still hope for us.

Having said that I am the man in charge, I am the man in power and I will do everything to target all the possible problems that I could target within the limits of my human strength and with the strength of my office and its subordinates.

Being knowledgeable with the current political shams and dirty tactics happening in the wild arena of crocodiles, I would do everything to make the president allocate a big budget for the health of the people. I would make sure that every centavo of this will be a centavo well spent.

With the budget I am now holding, I would focus more on the preventive medicine to further lessen the curative cases that we are dealing. The country needs a health and productive workforce and we all know for a fact that it could only be attained if we increase or even reach their maximum potential in terms of health, and by this, in turn, they could contribute to the economic progress of our country.

The current Department of health has a lot of good programs. They almost cover every health problem that we are facing here in this country, but if we would study them carefully, we would notice that some of these are outdated already and some need revisions for the continuity and mobility of the service for it to be dynamic.

But the most important issue that we have to address here is the lack of strength in implementing the programs. What we need are good laws that will support every health program implemented by my department. We need laws that would have no holes and loopholes that might lead to the failure of the programs.

Re-emerging diseases may result from the lack of vigilance and over complacency of the public and even the government when it comes to the eradication of diseases. A very good example of this is Polio, which was supposed to be eradicated years ago, but with the lack of complacency, it has re emerged.

Having mentioned those kinds of diseases, we should also put in mind those diseases which are easily treated nowadays but with the lack of information and with the lack of force regarding the implementation of the programs about these diseases, they still continue to infect other people. Tuberculosis is the perfect example.

Friends, comrades, we need to open our eyes and stop playing blind and dumb to what is really happening to our surroundings. As a chair of this ministry, I resolve that the highest priority should be given to the health of my countrymen.



ESSAY NO. 5


I’m not some kind of philosopher or even be as smart as one, like Karl Marx with his concept of Utopia or the possibility that we can attain the state of being in a “perfect world” but it is not a hindrance to dream of a place like so. And for the record, I’m not an advocate of the Utopian concept because it’s pretty much impossible to attain. And what’s the connection of it to Health Program making?

Simple, everything we do would have an exact or even greater consequence including health.

To be in a state of perfection we have to sacrifice certain things or if not, a lot. We have to be perfectly humble, be a person full of patience and be altruistic in everything. These are the moral conducts that may have an effect on the outcome of the world and ultimately an impact on the health status of people.

It’s as if being a living saint and maybe because of it we could make the world a better place to survive in and that would include healthier people and the cease of evolution and emergence of diseases that we’re now facing that’s trying to extinguish our existence in the word because of the destructive habits we have.

Some of the reasons why many of our brethrens live in poverty, experience multitudes of injustice and have to put up with faulty health service systems are the ineffectivity of our government and the rein of the corrupt politicians in seat who have serious apathy issues for the people. The health of the country is being compromised.

I may not be a colleague of some great epidemiologist knowing how to handle many health concerns in the community, or be a sociologist to cope with the people and become closely integrated with them, nor a politician who has the power to persuade the government to pour some of their attention to the Health of the citizens. I don’t even have the riches to become a philanthropist and give funding to a certain community or program on promoting health.

But looking at things in an my own point of view, in my egocentric thoughts, when I become a Director of Health I would make the health programs more available, accessible and affordable if not for free to all.

The health programs would be beneficial to many in the populations and no one is exempted from it regardless of socio-economic status. It would be based on the people of community itself and the resources, strengths and weaknesses of the community to prevent misallocations of any kind. The program would prevent making aesthetic effects that is palliative.

As a health provider, entering the community would become of a challenge especially when it comes to the attitude of the people towards the entering of a new team trying to promote a new project. I wouldn’t want to raise their expectations because if not met, they may not trust and lose interest on participating.

The health program would be the people’s needs regarding their health status. It would be somewhat of the reflection of the people’s necessities. I would try to become one and integrate with the people so they would really feel that they are part of this upcoming health program. Their suggestions would be prioritized. After getting much information, goal setting would be next but the priority is still on the peoples’ agenda.

And little by little we would launch the health project putting the people’s health needs on the top of the list. Then the evaluation would gauge the effectiveness of the program and again would be judged by the people and the milestones previously set.

The reiteration and restructuring of the program would make it long lasting and become well established to the people. One of my aspiring health programs to be created would be the immediate care for the homeless and starving populations in the Philippines.


ESSAY NO. 6


Given the chance to be the future Department of Health secretary, for the betterment of the society, the power that lies in my hands shall be used in implementing these following endeavours in order to address the problems and resolve issues that happen in various Philippine health care delivery systems.

I would focus on three important points: improvement (I), which gives us the complete summary of all the things that should be given consideration in order to enhance the medical services for the community people. Second is repudiation (R) that mentions the actions of the medical authorities use in order to ‘save’ the medical supplies that obviously lack. Last is proposition (P) which dwells on the possible suggestions that most probably address the different aspects that which can be further be given consideration to upgrade the quality of health care in the different areas.

1. Primary Health Care

I: The Rural Health Unit (RHU) must acquire more medical staffs and equipments that can lessen the burden of the doctor and nurses that shoulder all the work because of the lack of staff.

R: Most of the PHC facilities inconspicuously reuse the supposed to be disposable medical supplies in order to adjust to the lack of the budget allocation of the government. Thus proper budget allocation, full utilization of health resources and effective mobilization of both medical professionals and the community people should be observed.

P: From our current ratio of 1 doctor/nurse: 40, 000 patients to patients/ The ideal ratio should be 1:20,000 while the ideal one for midwives should be 1:5,000. Also, x-ray and ECG equipments are the most important facility that an RHU can ask for. These would help greatly to the people, especially for the poor who cannot afford such procedure to be done.

2. Secondary Health Care

I: The health facility itself must be improved in order to suit the needs of the people. It is also advisable to upgrade the hospital equipments such as hospital beds and lab machines (x-ray and ECG) which help greatly in the further examination of the medical staffs to patients.

R: Similar to the problem in the lack of medical staff, the overworked employees tend to bear heavier workload that result to stress and over fatigue. This paves way to substandard quality of service and the not-so-small salary adds to the stress load. Under paid and over worked medical professionals result into this.

P: Additional staff such as nursing staffs and nursing aids must be employed to the different secondary hospitals. Resident doctors must have their own specializations to cater the treatment of the patients so that they would not have to seek treatment in the specialized and private hospitals effectively improving the accessibility and affordability of health services. Ob-gyne, surgery, pedia and internal medicine are the ones that are badly needed right this time.

3. Tertiary Health Care

I: Dialysis centers, CT Scans and other equipments/ labs must be complete and upgraded in order to heighten the quality of service that they can provide to the people.

R: Visiting specialty consultants who charge patients even in a minimal amount should be removed, although charge fees are legal and accepted, in-house specialty consultants are much better in catering affordable and quality health care to the people.

P: Resident consultants are a must in the hospitals. These consultants must ask for the minimum fee. Also, doctors should have their own specialty departments such as cardiovascular, neurosurgery, nephrology and dialysis centers, particularly the oncology department in order to deal with the diseases that seek special medical attention. More hospital capacity is also highly recommended.

Through this thorough observation in the current state of the government health care units, may it serve as an eye-opener to all the authorities and leaders that can help change and improve the current Philippine health care delivery system.



ESSAY NO. 7


When I was young, I’ve always dreamt of being a doctor because I wanted to cure my grandmother’s illnesses. She was like my second mother; I was raised by her as if I was one of her own children. She loved me unconditionally. But she wasn’t getting any younger. Her body grew weaker as each day passed by.

I always told her that I wanted to be the one to take care of her and if she could wait, heal her. But we didn’t have enough money then to admit her into a good hospital. We had to transfer my grandmother twice because the first couple of hospitals didn’t do what they were supposed to, adding to the fact that they were both very expensive.

I’m telling this story to show that not all the people in the Philippines can afford health care, especially those who are under the poverty line. With that said, I propose that the government improve their medical services to reach out to those who desperately need it.

Poverty itself is the spark of many debates, including medical treatment for the poor and more-than-adequate healthcare for all. It’s been apparent for many years that people don’t get the best treatment due to financial issues or where they reside. There are vast amounts of people who don’t receive medical attention due to living in rural areas where a hospital or clinic are not available. I strongly believe that we need to address these issues instead of overlooking them.

In return our country would greatly benefit for the future. Life expectancy, general health and well-being would no longer be a threatening issue.

If I were the health director of the Philippines, I would address this issue and pour all of my concern upon it so that people would not have to worry about their health, before they reach the point of no return. Life is already hard enough as it is, and we all have to do our fair share to help.



ESSAY NO. 8


"If you have health, you probably will be happy, and if you have health and happiness, you have all the wealth you need, even if it is not all you want." Elbert Hubbard. If I were the health director, these are the following programs that I would implement and focus on.

First on the list is hygiene. I believe that the disease can spread easily due to the carelessness of the people. They cough of sneeze without covering their noses and they do not wash their hands as often as they should. We had a community observation not long ago in a certain barangay in Magalang, and the hygiene, especially of the children, was the first thing that I noticed. It was very poor. They were unclean, and they didn't have any kind of footwear. I also noticed that some were malnourished, and most of them were positive of a parasite. I knew at once that it was caused by their poor hygiene.

Next would be immunization. I know that there are available vaccines in the barangay health centers, but they do not have all the vaccines needed, and they lack supply. I would want to allocate funds for that because I believe that the children are our future. I would want to keep them healthy and I know for a fact that vaccines can indeed prevent diseases.

Another program that I would want to implement is Maternal Health. I know that the youth is our future, but without a healthy mother, there can be no healthy child. I would want to reduce infant mortality and morbidity. I know that babies are angels given to us by God, and I would want to take good care of His blessing. He sent them here for a purpose, and that is for our future.

Last would be the environment. We need to lessen the pollution for the betterment of our health. We should remove stagnant waters, and keep out areas and surroundings clean and green at all times. Remember, a healthy environment means a healthier place to live.

I would make sure that my programs would succeed because I want the people of this country to live a long and healthy life. A simple reminder to all, Health is Wealth.



ESSAY NO. 9


IF YOU WILL BE A HEALTH DIRECTOR, WHAT WILL YOU DO TO IMPROVE THE COMMUNITY?

“Change is the only constant in the world,” in the society we live in, change is one of the most important thing, especially in the way of life we have. Many problems arises every minute and every day, we can never say solution can be easily planned and processed, As a matter of fact they are difficult to formulate. But if we work hand in hand as a team and everybody is cooperating nothing is impossible.

As our community grows in population, as a HealthCare Director I think I will observe the problem in the community or the current situation of the community so that when we formulate a Plan of Action, everybody will surely benefit from it. One of the things I need to focus in improving the community is the proper allocation and distribution of resources especially in health care facilities.

The Government must properly allocate enough budget to the community and pay more attention or focus more on the places not reach by technology. It may be difficult but there is no harm in trying. As a HealthCare Director we can also make some projects for the increase in income of the society, like livelihood projects & fund raising and then the profit can be directly given for the healthcare facility budget.

In this way, we can increase the budget of the community health facilities and in a year, I think we can by some medical equipments, enough medication mostly needed by the people and of the community itself. We may never achieve the goal very fast but for sure, in time if the people will learn to visualize the need of the community for sure they will also help for making things work so that the plan will be put into action and also for the betterment of each one of them.



ESSAY NO. 10


Being the Health Director of DOH is not simple as it seems. You think critically to implement new guidelines about health for the community; you maintain and direct the rules of the hospitals and other health sectors that you organize. But most importantly you do critical thinking in managing in how to create a more suitable and more sustainable health program for the community.

We have all sorts of health programs that are implemented to make the community healthy. But there are still problems regarding the health of our community like Traffic accidents and Fraternity wars that are happening today. I know that these are not the problem of the DOH, but we still need to do something to stop these kinds of problems.

Like if I were the DOH Health Director, I would implement a program entitled, “Iwas Aksidente Program” for the sake of the health of our motorist in the country. Because of the large growing industry of the car industry, we Filipino’s tend to buy these merchandises for easy transportation. But as we experience life today, we see that in the near future, the number one mortality rate in the Philippines will be Traffic accidents. So we need to prevent this from happening starting right now.

The second one is the, “Fraternity war Prevention Program,” I know that it is not part of DOH to do something about it but, as you can see, there are many youngsters who are being injured and if not injuries, in the worse case scenario, maybe death. If we do nothing about this, what would happen to the youngsters? So as early as now, we need to prevent this from happening.

As the Health Director of DOH, implementing these two programs we can prevent or at least lessen Traffic accidents and Fraternity wars from happening and it would be a great help in maintaining the health of our community.



ESSAY NO. 11


In the competitive global market, where externalities are uncontrollable and price unpredictable, countries dependent on agriculture like The Philippines have an unreliable and inconsistent source of revenue. In these cases, Medical tourism may play a role in diversifying the economy and complementing the income brought in through low paying jobs for misplaced health skilled workers, that result to the migration and unbalanced allocation of health resources.

If I were given the chance to be the Head of Department of Health the first thing I would approve is the standardization of Medical tourism in the Philippines and coordinate with other branches of the government.

Adding the budget distribution to medical tourism in the country is the attractive tool for economic development to eradicate extreme poverty. This open the avenues of opportunities to form more jobs which equal to more mouths to feed, control foreign exchange rates to rise in the economy, stop the illegal and unethical organ donations to ensure and quality life, maximizing health insurance to grant sustainable health services, to minimize health workers migration is to replenish internal brain drain.

Demand for tourism is expected to remain strong into the new millennium and with advances in technology reducing the time required to travel, the distance between the consumer and the tourism product is becoming negligible. In fact Philippines have all the raw materials which in this case the skilled health workers going abroad, the government should compensate by providing a haven where one can practice the real profession that there would not be a need to migrate.

When the Medical tourism is in it’s peak it does not take solo of the credits it brings with it the trade and industry, business and all share the benefits.

Medical Tourism provides equal access to health services, respect human rights (dignity and freedom), their consequences are understood and can be controlled and make no harm. And uphold the purpose and principles to work for the highest standards of health while at the same time applying a principles of justice, respect for freedom, human dignity and equity. To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for principle of equal human rights and self-determination of peoples.

The Government should grasp the opportunity to benchmark the international level of competence of Filipino health care providers and accentuate the world class health services to do something about the increasing migration. The Proposition should be approved for the benefit of all Filipinos, in that case there will be no need to leave the country plus It will increase the quality of life, which Is after all is the essence of health.



ESSAY NO 12


If you were the DOH Secretary, what would you do?

Déjà vu?

I’ve read this question before, and I’ve written a slightly voluminous answer for it. I would hate to write it again, but for the sake of having something to pass (and so I would not lose face in front of my classmates), I’m going to write it again, but I don’t think my answer would go past the required 400-word mark (should’ve made it 400 characters).

First off, I do not want to be the health secretary, because I would be exposed to too much TV cameras (I’ve seen that happen to Dr. Eric Tayag) – I’d rather stay in the sidelines or maybe in the background and think of great ideas to help the health department. So if the time comes that I get such an offer, I would gladly say no. However, if I really am the only one who could be trusted to fill in such a post, who am I to disagree? The health of the Filipino people is in my (grimy) hands.

It may seem like I’m contradicting myself here, which is true. I’m just trying to make myself sound like the kids who say, “When I grow up, I’d like to be a doctor to help my countrymen” (Yes, they would help you even if you are not sick, so long as you are a countryman. As such, I would like to be a countryman). So, like Spiderman or Superman or our local Captain Barbell (which, I’ve heard, will get another jologs reincarnation from GMA 7, which is just eew.), I’ll be there when the need arises.
Now, when I finally fill in the post for health secretary, I will start my evil plan of world domination by assessing the current state of health in the country. Everybody knows that the Philippines, being a tropical country, is home to a mélange of diseases ranging from the common cold to the more deadly dengue fever. It is crucial to know which sectors of society are affected by these diseases, so that a more appropriate action plan could be devised.

In general, however, I feel that it is necessary to ask the higher-ups for an increase in the expenditure for public health facilities. It is common knowledge that the Philippine hospitals are understaffed (although there has been a resurgence among the number of newly-graduated nurses entering the Philippine public health scene), have poor facilities and lack other resources.

Why the increase in expenditure, you say?

Increasing the budget for the Philippine hospitals and other health establishments is necessary so that the doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals that our country is producing would be enticed to stay here. I’m not saying that the government needs to give a huge sum right away, what I’m pointing at is that, before going large-scale, smaller units such as barangay health centers and provincial hospitals should be given attention first.

Increasing the budget means larger bed capacity for every public hospital (which ultimately means that more patients would be served), an increase in hospital staff (which ensures that every patient would receive proper care) as well as an improvement in hospital facilities.

I also think that compulsory service for every graduate of medical school is a good way of ensuring that every Filipino would have contact with a doctor, and thus receive more medical attention.

All in all, I think that increasing the budget for health and imposing other rules would benefit the Filipino people with regards to their health situation.

From a person who is not such a stickler for rules, I think that the ideas that popped into my head would require a great deal of enforcement not just from the authorities but also from the Filipinos themselves.

Here ends an essay from a twisted mind.



ESSAY NO. 13


If I were the Health Director- What would I Do?

Health is something we need to treasure, but though how hard we try to preserve this precious thing, we are so vulnerable to different factors that can cause the rapid deterioration of our health. Like air pollution and the bacteria and viruses which cause diseases. We know for a fact that we live in an environment in which our health is in danger, and there is no better protection than prevention and health promotion. But how can we prevent diseases and promote our own health if we don’t equipped with knowledge and understanding?

The Department of Health has a very wide coverage, a lot of problems to face and a lot of strategies to make. We must not focus on the cure but rather on the prevention, and this prevention campaign must cover up to the national level. At the present, most Filipinos don’t have much consciousness when it comes to their own health, awareness to DOH’s health programs, and lesser accessibility to health resources for the poor. If I’m the health director I will focus on health education and I will make a way on how health resources will be more accessible for all, regardless of individual’s economic condition.

Mass media almost influence everything, and it will be the stepping stone for my plan as a health director. The Philippines’ Department of Health will have its own TV and Radio stations aired daily which tackles every single information about health. For example, signs and symptoms of different kinds of diseases, healthy habits, proper food combination, side effects of different vices, discussion of different health programs, and there will be a segment which caters medical missions from one barangay to another from each corner of our country, starting from the area with high morbidity rates, and lowest accessibility to health resources. Through this, we can spread a lot of information regarding health to a large number of Filipinos in a faster, and convenient way, and we can also come in contact in different barangays and provide them free health services.

The money that will be used will come from the government, from philanthropic support, and different manufacturing firms. The health practitioners who would provide the free medical missions will come from the place where the event is conducted. The DOH will oblige doctors and nurses and other health providers to help this program for at least once a week. Until we can cover the whole country.

“Health in the hands of the people” is the motto of DOH, through the help of mass media and man power we can continue to educate and reach the people towards a healthy society



ESSAY NO. 14



Secretary of Health?

I found myself to laugh hard on this, but beyond that, I saw a shift from my initial reaction. It became a wonder then, “What if I am?”

It might be a great challenge to be one especially if we are moving to a vast world of innovation and changes. Moreover, the situation of health nowadays is a wide array of issues: new diseases emerge, calamities happen, and technology is offering so much for the world of man and science. To tell you, it will not be an easy task.

The future Sec. Enrique Ona: It’s my turn today.

I am aware of the youth of today, moreover maybe is because I belong to this group. The dilemmas we face seem to be drastic that most social issues target our population: early pregnancy, substance abuse, mental health issues, lifestyle, and ouch, we include here are HIV/AIDS cases that seems to affect also our early ages. I wonder how it came to be like that, though I know I cannot totally blame the world that merely surrounds our beings. 

It’s the youth themselves whom I want to point out, especially to watch their health and try to make some amendable solutions to upgrade their curiosity and awareness towards their responsibility in this kaleidoscope world they’re walking with. It hurts too that the youth today seems to be so passive. We must be aware that they are the next leaders, the future holders, and the heir of our generation. Keeping them is not just a responsibility. 

It’s a call. Their actions predict the sake of our nation and the name carried by our ancestors will also be included on theirs. They are the genuine replacement for our active leaders today, and what can we do, to have these youth as being good replacements?

Now, by some of these few strategies, maybe, I just hope we can, alleviate or lessen the number of issues that goes along with these youth.

Statistics says that worldwide, about 16 million girls aged 15-19 give birth every year. Also, young people, 15 to 24 years old, accounts for 40% of all new HIV infections among adults in 2008. Another statistic says that in any given year, about 20% of adolescents will experience a mental health problem, most commonly depression and anxiety. 

And for the record, an estimated 150 milllion young people use tobacco. Threatening isn’t it? Even if this goes in a worldwide basis, the Philippines is greatly affected to this, given noticed are the real-life situations we see every day.

As the Secretary of Health, the greatest intervention to these issues goes with primary prevention and existence of health programs supported also by other health organizations. If I would then go for a health program, it would be a long existent one so as to monitor its effect to the society. Advertisements, formal seminars, government and community support and social responsibility are the aims of each program to help with these. 

Also, we can reach out for families to rear their children properly by participating in regional seminars in partnership with local health governments to help us support with our programs. In short, we go for primary prevention: holding up educational programs and social support for these vulnerable groups. We can also ask NGO’s and other organizations and groups to help out, and lastly, ask help from the Church to aid our youth for spiritual support knowing that with this, one can learn to value life and have a stronghold and principle to grow with.

Nothing is impossible to those who work with will and desire. If the youth became healthy, nothing is against their productivity and fruity achievements. And lastly I quote, “The youth is INDEED the hope of our HEALTHY nation.”