200 hospitals have closed down in a span of three years and 800 more were partially closed down. Why? Because we lack doctors and nurses. As a solution to the migration of Filipino doctors and nurses, a new bill was being proposed that would train barangay health volunteers as doctors and nurses.

Because better opportunities awaits Filipino doctors and nurses abroad, majority of them wants to leave Philippines and work in other countries leaving our country in crisis in healthcare system.

Based on statistics, between 1994 and 2003, approximately 85,000 Filipino nurses went abroad and 3,000 doctors left the country as nurses. From 2000 to 2005 also, one interesting and surprising figure shows that 3,000 Filipino doctors enrolled in nursing schools in 2006.

The said House Bill 6536 was sponsored by Akbayan Partylist Representatives Risa Hontiveros and Walden Bello which will also be known as Bibong BHW Education Training Program.

This issue can be again attributed to the serious problem that our country is facing. Whether the government treats these workers’ migration as a solution or a problem, the indications of a greater national issue lies ahead and the signs are starting to show. We are losing teachers already and our education system is suffering. Now we are losing doctors and nurses and our healthcare system is facing crisis. What are we going to lose next time? Who are we going to lose?

I am not against the proposed bill nor I fully agree with it. But there is more to analyze and resolve for the government rather than making band-aid fixes. A short-term solution might seem to work at first but what impact will it bring in the future? The greater question to be resolved is: How can we keep Filipino professionals from leaving their homes and migrating elsewhere?

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