SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

I always wondered when ANYBODY would address the crisis of shortage of physicians. Finally, the issue found its way to Sun.Star and ANC last week. Speaking of brain drain...the floodgates are open! Although we don't feel it that much yet in Lapu-Lapu City, we are losing more physicians than our diploma mills can produce. Many regions in the country are sharing as few as three physicians for a few common district hospital.
Few suggestions were proposed:

• Increase the salaries of physicians (and nurses).
• Start filling the gaps with nurse practicioners. The public and private sectors should start looking into this and start certifying nurses as medical practitioners.
• [I might add: crack down on non medical graduates practicing medicine - outside perhaps of the traditional arbularyos. The current pertinent law of the land (Medical Act of 1958) very specifically defines what constitute medical practice, and who can do them. Observe in the mall: there are outfits removing lesions, treating diseases, prescribing medicines, injecting strange stuffs for cosmetic reasons - all in the absence of a physician. Continued operation of these belittles the medical profession and further degrade the respected image of the physician of old].