Absence of professional liability rule to snag RP's medical tourism program - group

Medical tourism, which is seen to avert the exodus of medical professionals, will hit a snag with the absence of a professional liability policy in the country. “Prospective medical tourists most often ask whether they are covered by professional liability insurance should they decide to get treatment here in the Philippines," said Roxanne Silverio of Centennial Guarantee, an insurance group. For medical tourists eying Philippine medical services, absence of any professional liability assurance could discourage them to come for treatment, she said. At a press conference at Club Pilipino, Silverio said that there seems no end to the nagging debate between medical groups and policymakers over proposed medical malpractice measures. The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) vehemently opposed various policy measures on medical malpractice, saying that all the proposed bills, if passed, would drive the costs of medical and surgical fees sky-high and force doctors to practice defensive medicine. Citing sources from PMA, Dr. Paul Bisnar in his web log argued that the punishment proposed by all the medical malpractice bills for “an honest mistake" called medical malpractice is unfair. He said that one bill proposes six months plus one day to 12 years imprisonment and the cancellation of the license to practice the medical profession and a fine ranging from P500,000 to P1 million pesos in the discretion of the court. Silverio said that one way to solve the impasse is the doctor’s professional liability insurance. The plan holders need not worry should a suit be filed against them stemming from some slip-ups in treating their patients. Paul Reyes of Four Star Consulting, a marketing arm of Centennial Guarantee, said that they launched on September 12, 2007 a professional insurance package for doctors as a response to the problem. Keeping doctors in According to an official of the Department of Health, Filipino physicians will be enticed to stay in the country through health tourism, and that the country could earn P3 billion every year. An article from Sun Star Cebu quoted Dr. Cora Lou Kintanar, chief of local health division DOH 7, as saying, “The lack of nurses and doctors has become alarming because health professionals opt to leave the country to find high-paying jobs abroad." Once medical tourism in the country is in full stride, local salaries will become competitive and nurses, doctors, and people in the health profession would prefer to stay in the country, Kintanar said. Citing official records, she said that from 1994 to 2006, some 150,000 healthcare professionals left the country. “With right policies in place, medical tourism is the answer to the brain drain," she added. The Philippines is attractive to foreign patients because of the lower cost of medical treatment and the “caring nature" of Filipinos. Kintanar cited that a heart bypass operation, if done in the US would cost $50,000. If done in the Philippines, it will only cost $10,000 to $25,000. Under the medical tourism program, accredited hospitals would have special sections for foreign patients or medical tourists. Kintanar said the accreditation for hospitals engaged in medical tourism has already started in Manila with St. Luke’s Medical Center being the first to be accredited. - GMANews.TV