Doc Ahmad Hajiri

*PF = Professional fee A patient's question that is hardest for me to answer is... "Magkano po, doc?" (How much will I pay, doc?) I remember back in PGH, whenever we tell them  "wala po. wala po kayong babayaran sa aming mga duktor." (Zero. You don't need to pay us anything at all). Their faces were  always left in awe and disbelief. Almost to say to us "weeeh? di ngaaa?" But now, I am in an uncomfortable seat and I have to helplessly smile and direct them towards the nurse who in turn will lead them to the cashier. Waiving a PF is always an honorable act that we doctors would want to do. Especially to those we know are indigent and could use those money for other things like their medicine, or transportation back home. How I wish I could waive each and every PF for my patients. But I just can't. Doing it would be tantamount to suicide. Especially to young doctors who are still struggling in this messy world he just stepped ...

I highly support the notion of providing free hospitalizations for the really indigent people, but here are some interesting points for discussion: 1) If ever the government will pay for the hospitalization of the poor, how are they going to choose whom to provide the free services? Should they just accept everyone who claims, as said in this article, those who will come and say "I am poor, if I don't have a disease, then look for one that I might have."? I seriously don't think that is the best way to give free services. Yes, if the government could provide these necessary services to its poor people for free, then by all means, it should be done. But critical PRIORITIZATION of patients should be in place. I mean, the number of those who actually don't need this service greatly outnumbers those who really need them. 2) How much are we willing to spend for the "poor"? Are the tax-paying citizens willing to pay for the likes of those chronic alcoholics an...