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Editorial &
Publishing Consultant
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Murray Hertz |
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President &
Managing Director
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Butch C. Bonsol |
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Editor
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Agnes M. Abrau
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Managing
Editor
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Francesca L. Ortigas
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Associate
Editors
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Carmencita Acosta
C. Jude Defensor
Jacqueline L. Ong
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Writer/Reporter
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Richard A. Ramos (Cebu)
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Credit &
Collection
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Aldi Lozano
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Circulation
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Narciso Lorete |
WHAT’S ON &
EXPAT is published weekly by
Expat Communications, Inc.
Suite 415 Manila Bank Building
6772 Ayala Avenue Makati City
Telephone Nos: (02)840-2996 • 812-0987 Fax No:
840-2988
Email: expat@pldtdsl.net
whatsonexpat@yahoo.com
Cebu Mailing Address: MJ. Cuenco Avenue
cor. C. Mina St., Mabolo, Cebu City
Telefax: (032) 412-8000
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Exodus ...
from page 1
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Great technology but where are the
doctors and nurses?
Okay, the Philippines has the hospitals and the technology, but
where are the doctors and the nurses?
Some say of what good is all this hype
on medical tourism when the cream of the
cream have packed up and gone overseas?
There must be–to use a favorite government term – “transparency” in
all this business. Many sectors of
society insist that there must be
honesty in all this campaign to push
medical services into the forefront of
foreign tourism. The government must
address this issue–and urgently so–of
the mass exodus of Philippine medical
and nursing practitioners.
Reactions
During the 2nd International Medical Travel Conference hosted by
DOT at a Makati hotel, Undersecretary
Oscar Palabyab reacted to the
observation, saying that pushing for
medical tourism in the Philippines could
solve the perceived problem. “If many
foreigners come to our shores for
medical treatment, then local doctors
would see no reason to leave their
country.” He explained that if medical
tourism were to succeed, that would
eventually create a situation where the
pay for medical practitioners would go
up.
Former Health Secretary Alfredo Bengson, who was one of the
speakers during the aforesaid
conference, said that the issue raised
of departing doctors is valid and
hopefully solutions would be found by
both government and private sectors.
A lady journalist from Romania now based in Vietnam told What”s On
& Expat that the issue of the declining
number of physicians in the Philippines
is an eye-opener.
The medical conference was attended by some 100 foreign medical
practitioners, medical institution
representatives and journalists. They
were taken to a tour of St. Luke’s
Medical Center in Quezon City and other
top hospitals in Metro Manila.
Chinese Sector Supports
Medical Tourism
During the 20th Joint Meeting of the Philippine-Chinese Business
Council (PCBC based in the Philippines
(cited earlier) and the
Chinese-Philippine Business Council (CPBC)
based in |
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I
LOVE FILIPINO EXCUSES and some day, this
procrastinating columnist will write a
book and list all the great excuses I
have heard over my 28 years living in
this crazy, mixed up, but wonderful
adopted country. It could be a best
seller because all of the young people (bagets)
will buy the book just to come up with
great excuses to sneak away from mom and
dad to do the things that satisfy
teenage urges. Adults will buy it
because if gives them so many reasons to
do what they do, which is mostly coming
late to work or missing work altogether.
If you have some good ones, send them to
me. When I become a billionaire from the
sales of the book, I will share the
royalties with you and we can both buy
our own personal Beeline Helicopters
from Benny Gopez.
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HERE ARE A FEW: Late for work: “I
swear it’s true. The door to the
refrigerator fell off. It took time to
put it back on.… The streets are flooded
from the rain. Can’t get out… Got caught
in traffic. (That’s a classic that we’ve
used for years and it is almost worn
out.)… Had an accident coming to work,
but I’m okay.… She tells her mom and
dad: “I’m spending the night with my
best girl friend. She has no phone.” Uh
huh. You betcha… Can’t go to work: “I
have LBM.” (Loose Bowel Movements) (If
he had a cork he could come to work.)
“My grandmother in the province died. My
grandfather in the province died.” It is
surprising to note that many employees
have as many as four or five
grandparents and they keep dying
frequently and conveniently... “The
carabao had heat stroke. Needs immediate
attention. (Did they try giving it
smelling salts?)
HERE ARE A FEW: Late for work: “I swear
it’s true. The door to the refrigerator
fell off. It took time to put it back
on.… The streets are flooded from the
rain. Can’t get out… Got caught in
traffic. (That’s a classic that we’ve
used for years and it is almost worn
out.)… Had an accident coming to work,
but I’m okay.… She tells her mom and
dad: “I’m spending the night with my
best girl friend. She has no phone.” Uh
huh. You betcha… Can’t go to work: “I
have LBM.” (Loose Bowel Movements) (If
he had a cork he could come to work.)
“My grandmother in the province died. My
grandfather in the province died.” It is
surprising to note that many employees
have as many as four or five
grandparents and they keep dying
frequently and conveniently... “The
carabao had heat stroke. Needs immediate
attention. (Did they try giving it
smelling salts?)
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WAIT! THERE’S MORE: “I passed by a wake
on my way to the office and it depressed
me so much that I couldn’t face a day of
work and went home… How about this one?
“The heel of my shoe broke off and I was
late because I had to buy a new pair of
shoes… Of course the tried and true ones
are “The alarm didn’t go off.” (That one
takes a lot of guts). “I couldn’t get a
jeepney to stop for me.” (Why? Didn’t
you take a bath that day?)... No water…
No electricity so I could not iron my
wrinkled clothes and I didn’t want to go
to the office looking sloppy… I have
dysmenorrhea – a reliable monthly female
excuse. Did she ever hear of sanitary
napkins and Tylenol?... My mother is
alone and I have to take care of her…
Misplaced loyalty: It’s my best friend’s
birthday and I have to go to her party.
(now doesn’t that take the cake for the
ballsiest excuse I have ever heard?) Of
course she should be fired for that one.
Family comes first: Couldn’t come to
work because my relatives showed up at
the house… This one takes the grand
prize: The elevator was too slow. Ay
naku.
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EAR
TO THE DOOR: Such juicy chizmis. The
wise guys on the street are saying that
a Filipino soft drink giant has acquired
the majority of the shares of Asian
Spirit Airlines. The rumor mongers
further speculate that he will take
Asian Spirit and another popular local
airline (and if you don’t know which one
that is then you live in a cave) that he
previously snapped up and merge the two
of them into one powerhouse airline.
Izzat true? Damned if I know, but it
sure makes for good gossip. Will
Philippines Airlines like to hear that
story? Well, what do you think?… More
grist for the mill. A long time German
resident of the Philippines and his
group are planning to build the mother
of all resorts in Panglao, Bohol. Super,
super luxurious and more amenities than
most people can envision, like
helicopter transfers to and from, rooms
to end all rooms and food to die for,
etc. Prices are supposed to start at
US$10,000 a day. For that kind of money,
they should supply me with a personal
dolphin to swim with. M’gosh! Are they
crazy? Maybe yes, maybe no, but they
just might surprise you and make a go
out of this super luxury resort. Can I
make my reservation now? And don’t
forget my dolphin! |
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MURRAY’S COLUMN CAN ALSO BE READ ON THE
INTERNET AT
www.whatson-expat.com.ph
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St.
Luke’s Medical Medical Center has
state-of-the-art technology |
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Taiwan which
washeld at a hotel in Makati, the focus of
attention was the economic corridor between
Taiwan and the Philippines Aside from the
session held on strengthening the Information
and Communications Technology business, another
conference was devoted to promoting Medical
Tourism in the Philippines and Taiwan.
The Taiwanese speakers were joined by the Philippine delegates on
Medical Tourism. One was Dr. Anthony P. Calibo,
program manager of Philippine Medical Tourism in
the Office of the Undersecretary of Health. The
other was Ruy Y. Moreno, director for Operations
of the Private Sector, National Competitive
Council.
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Taiwanese
participant, Ms. Tze-Hwa Chow, executive vice
president of the Min-Sheng Health Care said that
Taiwan’s Medical Tourism is on the go, although
some minor kinks wait to be ironed out such as
making all top hospitals have a hotel-like
atmosphere, complete with posh restaurants and
shopping sections.
But Taiwan’s encumbrance is not as serious as that of the
Philippines, which is the lack of doctors and
nurses because of the exodus. Dr. Calibo
expressed the view, when pressed for comment by
What’s On & Expat that the issue brought up by
observers on the low salaries received by
doctors must indeed be remedied. It was learned
that a doctor in a public hospital receives only
something like Php11,800. |
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