Mandatory Return of Service for Professionals: Closing the Pandora's Box?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
, Bone MD at Thursday, August 21, 2008
In an unprecedented and controversial move, the UP College of Medicine (the state's subsidized premier medical school) through its UPCM College Council, approved overwhelmingly the proposed Return Service Mechanism for its UPCM graduates during the council's March 11, 2008 meeting. (See the details of this new UP Medicine Admission Policy here).
UP College of Medicine main entrance. Legacies that lived beyond hundred years..
Simply put, starting academic year 2009-2010, all freshman medical students who enter the halls of this premier medical institution, will be required a three (3) year return of service after they graduate before they will be allowed to go out of the country for training, further studies or employment. This is way ahead of that House Bill 4580 authored by Rep. Ignacio T. Arroyo (5th District, Negros Occidental) that if approved into law, will require all Filipino professionals to render service for at least 2 years before they can go abroad.
In my previous post here, I was trying to determine if there was indeed a shortage of physicians here in the Philippines. The scary answer is yes we have communities who have not seen any physician at all. The average density estimates of 1.2 physicians per 1000 Filipinos (WHO 2002) or 1.2 physicians per 10,000 Filipinos (ADB 1998) is still among the lowest in Asia and globally.
The debate on MD brain drain and MD-RNs going abroad goes protracted and ironically, is still unresolved or acted upon by major stakeholders. Majority of the Filipinos still suffer from the lack of physicians especially in the provinces. This fact still hounds us all and especially the physicians.
Is the this move by UP College of Medicine, the government's premier medical school and that of HB 4580 of trying to stop this "exodus" and lack of physicians by requiring doctors and professionals to render service to the countrymen a valid one?
Will the provisions of these policies offer solutions to this half a century of professionals leaving our country?
If you think so, maybe you can elucidate some more. If you think not, please say so and elaborate on your answers. In fact, you can give recommendations and suggestion to these policies and laws so your opinion(s) will be read!
That will be the topic for the 17th edition of The Blog Rounds- Mandatory Return of Service for Professionals: Closing the Pandora's Box?
Submit your link and title to my email kokegulper(at)yahoo(dot)com or leave a link by commenting to this post!Deadline for blog articles will be on Tuesday August 26, 2008.
Bone MD is a board certified orthopedic surgeon practicing in Southern Mindanao, Philippines. He writes mostly about his medical encounters, public health views and just about everything his scalpel would allow him to. If you like this post please consider subscribing to Orthopedic Logbook RSS feed. You can also subscribe to Orthopedic Logbook by e-mail and receive my posts directly in your inbox.Still not happy with what you read? Couldn't understand something in the article? Search in here:
this is timely to at least address the problem. if the state is subsidizing studies of future doctors, it's just proper to mandate service in return. not for those enrolled in private schools though.
I glad you also didn't go with the flow. Most of my colleagues already went abroad. I'm not a doctor, but an engineer in the field of information security
@Tutubi, the critical question then becomes whether the government can employ or support these graduates who will have mandatory return of service.If not, what will happen to them?
Remo,
I've heard tutubi's comments before, from other fellow MDs who are not UP alumni. That is the exact reasoning they use - because their education was subsidized by the government.
They should use that rationale for all graduates of UP, kung ganoon! Bakit mga doktor lang?
I'd like to join these rounds, but I'm traveling right now. Pauunahan na kita na ma-le-late and entry ko.
Uy Doc. So close. Mmmm. X-)
Hi Doc Remo, sorry po lurker lang ako sa yahoo group natin. But everthing was noted: the tbr assignments, the crazy ideas (eg blog summit hehehe), w/c aren't really crazy.
Before I hurtle into numbing duties, this is my contribution:
http://thephilippinedailyidiot.blogspot.com/2008/08/tbr17-last-week-sobrang-nakakatawa-ang.html
More power to you!
meloinks
agree with megamom. non-up-graduates always take the position of being non-up-grads :-) . it's subtle but meron talaga hidwaan kunti. hehehe.
Hi! I'm done with my TBR post!
Is HB 4580 The Solution to Philippines’ Brain Drain?
http://health.tesstermulo.com/?p=477
Doc Remo, I made the deadline. Got stuck in the airport waiting for my return flight, kaya.
http://megamomph.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/starting-somewhere/
Doc Remo, late ang post ko, also sent you an email... Anyway it's here as well:
http://jaaraf.blogspot.com/2008/08/here-there-or-anywhere.html
Habol ako! My entry here: http://www.joeymd.com/2008/08/26/return-service-mechanism
Joey
there's an egroup pala? :) sorry i have been so delinquent - hindi ako naabutan ng balita. my sched is weird, but i will try to join when i can pa rin, so please let me know when the next is! :)
this topic is food for thought, specially for the grads who left straight out of med school. i was thinking they have to fine-tune the return service thing as well - like if you serve in DTTB dapat less than three years ang required sa yo, etc.