April 7 is World Health Day. It’s a celebration to honor our healthcare workers from all around the world especially in a time like this. Nations were faced with problem regarding this new pandemic in which no vaccine or cure has been made yet our healthcare workers are doing their best to give supportive treatment to those who were affected and raise awareness for those who were not.
As the saying goes “All is fair in love and war” simply showed that even those first world nations were unprepared for this pandemic same as to those in third world countries. There are depleting resources as to medical supplies and equipments which greatly affects our frontliners need to protect themselves from acquiring the disease. Despite of the circumstances, our healthcare providers didn’t stop caring for those who were affected by the virus.
Before this pandemic started, I was having sentiments regarding the health system in the country because I can’t imagine why the government is taking the health sector for granted. You only saw the teachers and military wage hike on national television. What was not broadcasted was the fact that doctors, nurses and midwifes were understaffed and underpaid especially in government institutions. These were not counting the overworked manpower of the hospitals including utilities, housekeeping, and even the taking advantage of clerks and interns in a training hospitals as additional workforce without pay (hazard) or benefits (medical).
At some point you’ll get to see nurses rallies for wage hike but you see healthcare workforce isn’t only comprised of one profession. There are doctor, midwifes, barangay health worker, medical technologists, pharmacist, nutritionist, dietician, physical therapist, respiratory therapist, speech therapist not to mention the adminstrative staffs and other helpers in the hospital for without them the institutions won’t be able to work efficiently or even work at all. These groups of people are needed in order to give the best management for the patient. For many years they have been neglected Their earnings a month is not enough to sustain a family of 3 members which is why most of them have other extra jobs on the side. They sacrificed their time, family even their lives to serve their patients who were not always easy to deal with most of the time.
Doctors would always tell us to have plenty of sleep, eat at proper time and drink plenty of water and be compliant to the medications. But you know what’s ironic? It’s those simple things even them would compromise just to make sure you’re getting the best management they can offer. Some would say they are earnings more than other professions so a raise is not needed. Let me tell you this, they are earning more than others because they’ve worked hard for it for almost 3 decades of their life so to give due credit for those sacrifices they’ve made.
As the number of doctors died in this pandemic increases along with other health care professionals, I hope that the government will take a closer look at our health care system. It is high time for upgrades and updated legislative agenda for the health department because a country can only be progressive if its people is healthy enough to sustain it.
#WorldHealthDay
Vita Medica 
