MANILA, Philippines—Dr. Anthony Leachon, who is one of the “Ten Outstanding Filipino Physicians” for 2008 recently awarded by the Department of Health and PhilHealth Insurance Corp., stressed the important role of physicians, not only when it comes to medical problems of patients, but more so in the social aspects as he lends his healing touch to all patients, rich or poor, who come to him.
Together with the other awardees—Doctors Rommel Cariño, Victor Dumaguing, Egidio Elio, Elvie Henares-Esguerra, Mark Kho, Leonor Cabral-Lim, Rimando Saguin, Blessie de la Rosa-Salvador and Edward Wang—Dr. Leachon or Tony, as we fondly call him, represents an encouraging breed of physicians, who have decided to remain faithful to their oath as physicians and to stick it out in the country come what may.
“For all 10 of us, it (the TOPF award) is an expression of the vow we made in our Hippocratic Oath as doctors; it is the expression of what it means to be a Filipino physician in our times—an expression of the ethics and vocation of our being Filipino physicians,” Tony said in his acceptance speech.
Firm commitment
When the doctor hangs a sign “The doctor is in” on his door, it is actually a firm commitment to make himself available whenever his service is needed, and not only when it is convenient for him to be so. A small town doctor who hangs this sign on his wall assures his town mates that a doctor is always within their beck and call should something happen to them. “The doctor is available. He is accessible. And both the patient and the family are reassured that a healer is on hand,” Tony said.
The doctor being in does not only mean that he is available to scribble a prescription but he is available to heal, comfort, counsel, educate and reassure his patients. When he does that, he actually empowers his patients and allows them to sleep soundly at night knowing that they always have someone to run to, no matter what the time of day is.
“The centrality of the role of a doctor in a community’s sense of security, sense of stability, sense of completeness was deeply embedded in my psyche,” Tony said.
Commit to continuous learning
Being “in” does not only mean being physically present all the time but also remaining competent through the years, keeping abreast with the dynamic changes and developments in the medical field. Tony explained: “Committing to our dream of becoming a physician healer, comforter and hope-giver means to commit to continuous learning and constant evolution. The doctor is called upon to be an expert, a scientist, a humanist, a community leader and a futurist.”
Furthermore, “being in,” according to Tony, also entails the doctor to be:
• A visionary concerned with the future
• A fearless and passionate advocate making stands on policies that affect his profession and his country
• A central shaper of building a healthier, happier Philippines
• An agent of reform making a difference in the community and country.
Are our doctors always in? The statistics are not very convincing to indicate a positive answer to this question. There are 1,494 towns and 35,000 barangays in the country, with a total population of 88 million. Forty percent or something like 35 million Filipinos have never had the pleasure of being seen by a doctor.
Healthcare challenges
Meanwhile, the exodus of doctors going into nursing abroad continues at the rate of 3,000 Filipino doctors annually. Small hospitals in the provinces are closing down, barely able to maintain a reasonable bottomline to survive.
These and many other healthcare challenges slide the movable plastic on the signage on the door to the left indicating that “The doctor is out.” No doctor is available. No one to heal, to comfort, to reassure, to counsel. Or so it seems. But so long as we have doctors like Tony and the other TOFP awardees, there’s reason to hope that things will change. And every Filipino, no matter what his station in life is, or where he resides, will heave a sigh of relief when he goes to the doctor’s clinic and sees the plastic sign that reads: “The doctor is in.”
