Incentives may attract retired doctors back to medical practice — group
THE Philippine Medical Association (PMA) asked congressmen on Tuesday to consider incentives for retired and elderly doctors so that they would continue with their professional practice amid the shortage of physicians in the country.
“The Philippine Medical Association has a request to fill in the gap of the lack of doctors practicing right now in the Philippines,” Prudencio Z. Sta. Lucia, Jr., a licensed doctor and member of the group, told a hearing at the House of Representatives.
Mr. Sta. Lucia said the prevailing doctor-to-patient ratio 1:26,000, which is far from the ideal ratio of at least one doctor for every 1,000 patients.
“We came up with a proposal if it’s possible that doctors who are already retired and are senior citizens — but they’re still professionally abled — [to] be given some sort of incentive and encouragement [to practice medicine,]” Mr. Sta. Lucia, who also represents the Pasay-Parañaque Medical Society, said in a mix of English and Filipino.
He cited how elderly doctors could be exempted from paying their premium contributions under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) or be entitled to certain tax incentives.
He attributed the lack of doctors in the country to the low salary, among others.
A study published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies last year reported that 80% of hospitals, especially those handled by local government units (LGUs), struggle to keep their best medical practitioners due to the lack of incentives.
On Sunday, Quezon City Rep. Marvin D. Rillo reiterated his call for a higher base pay for nurses amid the doubled number of professionals taking the annual licensure examination to practice in the United States.
The panel created a technical working group to draft a new law that would streamline the necessary discounts and benefits for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
