‘Vote for health’

“Go out and vote for health.” That is the “prescription” that doctors, health advocates and health activists offered voters during a recent press briefing.

Dr. Tony Leachon, secretary of the Philippine College of Physicians, urged voters to exercise their right to vote because not only is it “good for your health,” but also because “this is a powerful opportunity for us to flex our muscles to put true health champions in the Senate who will fight for health.” Dr. Tony Dans, president of the Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine (PSGIM) noted that “six out of 10 Filipinos die without ever seeing a doctor,” blaming the “high cost of health care in the country” which “prevents people from accessing life-saving services, and drowns families further into poverty.”

To guide the public in “voting for health,” the group used the recently-passed “Sin Tax” legislation as a gauge to judge the fitness for public office, and readiness to champion health issues, of the candidates, basing their choices on how reelectionists voted on the law, and on the previous actions and public statements of the other candidates.

These are their “pro-health” choices: Risa Hontiveros, Jamby Madrigal, Koko Pimentel, and Antonio Trillanes. While some candidates said they wanted the law to be amended and the tax increases imposed gradually, others said they believed “Filipinos are already taxed heavily as it is.” The chosen candidates, however, had said publicly that the “Sin Tax” was not just a revenue measure, but also a means to promote health and social justice.

The group also identified eight candidates who, judging by their votes, public statements and positions on the “Sin Tax” could be deemed as “antihealth.” They are: Gringo Honasan, Chiz Escudero, Jack Enrile, Migz Zubiri, Ernie Maceda, Mitos Magsaysay, Teddy Casiño and Christian Seneres.

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THE National Statistical Coordination Board has revealed that in 2010, Filipino families shouldered more than half of the country’s health expenditure.

“Mahal magkasakit. Mabuti kung may bulsa na puwede paghugutan, kung wala mamatay ka na lang” (It costs a lot to get sick. You’re lucky if you have deep pockets to draw from, but if not you’ll just die), observed May-i Fabros from WomanHealth Philippines. “Enshrined in our Constitution is our right to health, which is why we need to ensure that those who we elect into power will push for health reform policies that will make access to health services equitable for all, regardless if you have money or not.”

Another “player” in the health field, the pharmaceutical industry represented by the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), seeks to do its part in promoting and ensuring the health of Filipinos not by endorsing candidates, but by maintaining programs and policies boosting the industry’s integrity and proficiency.

Realizing that healthcare is the shared responsibility of pharmaceuticals, medical doctors and the allied health industry, as well as of patients, the PHAP is launching a “training and development tool” called “Integrity and Proficiency Program for the Pharmaceutical Sector.” The tool, said PHAP representatives, “will help ensure that medical decisions are made in the best interests of patients,” emphasizing that “pharmaceutical companies’ interactions with healthcare professionals, medical institutions and patient organizations must at all times be ethical, appropriate and professional.”

Of course it’s also a must that the public, the patients and clients themselves are made aware of the impact of bad or faulty decisions regarding their healthcare, empowered enough to question or challenge a doctor’s diagnosis and prescription, and responsible enough to seek the best care they can afford, including following a doctor’s orders.

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FROM Chiqui Mathay, friend and classmate from Maryknoll, comes an appeal to “help give our modern-day heroes, our OFWs, a true and genuine voice in Congress.”

This voters can do by shading the “egg” for the OFW Family Party List, number 4 on the ballot. The first nominee of the party is Ambassador “Amba” Roy Señeres, who served for many years as a diplomat in the Middle East and is well known for his “key role” in saving OFW Sarah Balabagan from the death penalty in 1995.

Amba and his family established the “OFW Family Club” in 2000, serving OFWs and their families. It’s not just the families of overseas workers who benefit from their hard work. The fact is that we all benefit from the money they send home, keeping the economy afloat. So the OFW Family Party List declares that “a vote (for the party) is a vote not just for the OFW and his (or her) family but for you and your family as well.”

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In response to the endorsement of the “Purple Vote” movement, Team PNoy aspirant Risa Hontiveros in a statement said that the “fight” not just for reproductive health but also for social and political reform, is more meaningful because “I am in the company of people who are willing to sacrifice everything for what they’re fighting for.”

Hontiveros said that the groups—and the women—behind the Purple Vote are her “inspiration,” giving her courage to speak out on her advocacies, facing the public truthfully and with full courage “because that is what I have, my commitment, my principles, my beliefs. I don’t have a ‘big’ name or a recognizable one, so all I bring is my firm stand on issues.”

So sisters, will we give another sister, a sister who is moving against the prevailing tide and struggling to get her advocacies across, a chance to serve us on the national stage?