18 October 2005
Health chief seeks embassies’ help for med scholarships
EMBASSIES of various nations have been asked by the Department of Health to set up a trust fund for the scholarships of poor but deserving students in medical courses to mitigate the effects of the continuing exodus of health care professionals abroad.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said this is his agency’s response to the growing problem spawned by “brain drain” that has already created a serious shortage of doctors, nurses and midwives in various hospitals throughout the country.
Duque was interviewed by newsmen when he and House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. inaugurated the newly completed dialysis center for the poor at the government-owned Region 1 Medical Center here last Sunday.
Earlier, Dr. Jesus Canto, director of R1MC, revealed that up to four of the hospital nurses here are leaving for abroad monthly in search of greener pastures.
Duque said he already talked and will talk again to chiefs of foreign missions based in Manila to encourage them to set up a trust fund to finance the scholarship of poor but deserving students to enable them to take up medical courses to replace the health care professionals who have already gone abroad.
These embassies, he said, are those of countries where most Filipino health care professionals are going, like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and others.
Duque admitted that the country’s health sector is suffering from a serious shortage of manpower because even doctors are taking up the nursing course nowadays and leaving for countries where there are big demand for nurses.
Noting that it is impossible for poor but deserving students to take up medical course nowadays, Duque said he is arranging with foreign embassies that if their countries will absorb Filipino health care professionals, they should contribute money to a trust fund for the scholarship of those that are left behind. The scholars are to sign contract with the government binding them to serve two years in the Philippines for every year of their scholarship.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said this is his agency’s response to the growing problem spawned by “brain drain” that has already created a serious shortage of doctors, nurses and midwives in various hospitals throughout the country.
Duque was interviewed by newsmen when he and House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. inaugurated the newly completed dialysis center for the poor at the government-owned Region 1 Medical Center here last Sunday.
Earlier, Dr. Jesus Canto, director of R1MC, revealed that up to four of the hospital nurses here are leaving for abroad monthly in search of greener pastures.
Duque said he already talked and will talk again to chiefs of foreign missions based in Manila to encourage them to set up a trust fund to finance the scholarship of poor but deserving students to enable them to take up medical courses to replace the health care professionals who have already gone abroad.
These embassies, he said, are those of countries where most Filipino health care professionals are going, like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and others.
Duque admitted that the country’s health sector is suffering from a serious shortage of manpower because even doctors are taking up the nursing course nowadays and leaving for countries where there are big demand for nurses.
Noting that it is impossible for poor but deserving students to take up medical course nowadays, Duque said he is arranging with foreign embassies that if their countries will absorb Filipino health care professionals, they should contribute money to a trust fund for the scholarship of those that are left behind. The scholars are to sign contract with the government binding them to serve two years in the Philippines for every year of their scholarship.
