Health providers are said to be professionals not just because they have completed their College but in the sense that they have acquired the necessary credentials needed in their work. It is a fact that there are other criteria in identifying what a professional is but my point this time focuses on their professional fee.
Professional fee or simply any fee in exchange for health services is essentially must be in the form of money. Yes, it is universally accepted even for non-health professionals to receive their pay in the form of money. We cannot deny the fact that this is the modern world wherein most of our needs are purchased with the use money in exchange. Economy depends on money. We buy products abroad and do business using money in exchange for a kind whether it is raw materials or finished products. It is also undeniable that health nowadays is expensive and not majority of the Filipinos can afford it. That is why there are alternatives done by the government and private organizations in order for the majority to afford health services.
There are health workers who accept any kind in exchange for the services they rendered. Is it always right to do this? In the spirit of charity, it is humane, it is the work of a saint, it is moral but in the spirit of common sense, it is "not always considerable". A week before class starts, my nephew was brought to Ilocos Training and Regional Health Center. Well, it is a government hospital and they charged P 20.00. Just or not? I would say that it is just because they only did a minor examination with the use of a stethoscope and prescribed a medicine. But if we try to look at the charge of private hospitals who performs the same, it has a big difference in the amount they collect. It is a matter of the same procedures but different fee. Is it just because it is a government hospital? I wonder if there is a difference in the capacity of doctors working in private from those working in public hospitals but there are visiting doctors from private hospitals? But there are doctors who are considering the economic status of patients that is why there are some points that they give discounts.
Another point is, we cannot remove money even for such services, health professionals did not took their course spending nothing that is why they deserve to have a professional fee in the form of money. We can see then a point of investment there through education. Another is, hospital is a business, being a health provider is a business, there should be a rotation of the materials that were invested. What to I mean with that investment? Money is used in buying medicines and other medical paraphernalia, how about transportation? How about those spent on them? Are they not supposed to be returned? I mean with interest? Because this interest is supposed to be used in buying more of medical materials and facilitate in the improvement of such medical services.
If people will always pay in kind, there will be a delay in acquiring the best medical services and acquiring the medicines as well. So, it is not always true if we pay in kind for health services rendered to us. There are circumstances that paying in kind is just if we consider the condition of the people whereas they cannot have money to pay their bills in hospitals due to economic reasons. In IRH for example, there are instances that patients pay in kind because they cannot pay hospital bills. They pay in the form of vegetables for food or render services like cleaning in the yard of the hospital and other areas.
Professional fee is essentially must be in the form of money but that fee must conjoin with the services rendered. It is also good to pay in kind depending on what the situation of the patient is as considered by the health provider.
However, there are several factors to be considered in a just professional fee. What if the health worker is travelling? What if the health worker is working at night? Is their security in his workplace? Are there enough protective measures used for the benefit of the health care provider (the medical technologists for example)? Let us be reminded that the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers (Republic Act No. 7305) is existent and it should be strictly followed. What if there are cases like patients cannot afford the hospital bills? Well, there should be enough considerations. The doctor for example should look into the condition of the patient; he should consider the instance that he can afford less of what should be. Anyway, it is not immoral if the health worker will give consideration in his professional fee. Yes, the health worker should consider some degrees in the case of patients. Let us not forget that medical professionals had their oath and they must not focus on how to become wealthy, service always comes first.
Professional fee or simply any fee in exchange for health services is essentially must be in the form of money. Yes, it is universally accepted even for non-health professionals to receive their pay in the form of money. We cannot deny the fact that this is the modern world wherein most of our needs are purchased with the use money in exchange. Economy depends on money. We buy products abroad and do business using money in exchange for a kind whether it is raw materials or finished products. It is also undeniable that health nowadays is expensive and not majority of the Filipinos can afford it. That is why there are alternatives done by the government and private organizations in order for the majority to afford health services.
There are health workers who accept any kind in exchange for the services they rendered. Is it always right to do this? In the spirit of charity, it is humane, it is the work of a saint, it is moral but in the spirit of common sense, it is "not always considerable". A week before class starts, my nephew was brought to Ilocos Training and Regional Health Center. Well, it is a government hospital and they charged P 20.00. Just or not? I would say that it is just because they only did a minor examination with the use of a stethoscope and prescribed a medicine. But if we try to look at the charge of private hospitals who performs the same, it has a big difference in the amount they collect. It is a matter of the same procedures but different fee. Is it just because it is a government hospital? I wonder if there is a difference in the capacity of doctors working in private from those working in public hospitals but there are visiting doctors from private hospitals? But there are doctors who are considering the economic status of patients that is why there are some points that they give discounts.
Another point is, we cannot remove money even for such services, health professionals did not took their course spending nothing that is why they deserve to have a professional fee in the form of money. We can see then a point of investment there through education. Another is, hospital is a business, being a health provider is a business, there should be a rotation of the materials that were invested. What to I mean with that investment? Money is used in buying medicines and other medical paraphernalia, how about transportation? How about those spent on them? Are they not supposed to be returned? I mean with interest? Because this interest is supposed to be used in buying more of medical materials and facilitate in the improvement of such medical services.
If people will always pay in kind, there will be a delay in acquiring the best medical services and acquiring the medicines as well. So, it is not always true if we pay in kind for health services rendered to us. There are circumstances that paying in kind is just if we consider the condition of the people whereas they cannot have money to pay their bills in hospitals due to economic reasons. In IRH for example, there are instances that patients pay in kind because they cannot pay hospital bills. They pay in the form of vegetables for food or render services like cleaning in the yard of the hospital and other areas.
Professional fee is essentially must be in the form of money but that fee must conjoin with the services rendered. It is also good to pay in kind depending on what the situation of the patient is as considered by the health provider.
However, there are several factors to be considered in a just professional fee. What if the health worker is travelling? What if the health worker is working at night? Is their security in his workplace? Are there enough protective measures used for the benefit of the health care provider (the medical technologists for example)? Let us be reminded that the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers (Republic Act No. 7305) is existent and it should be strictly followed. What if there are cases like patients cannot afford the hospital bills? Well, there should be enough considerations. The doctor for example should look into the condition of the patient; he should consider the instance that he can afford less of what should be. Anyway, it is not immoral if the health worker will give consideration in his professional fee. Yes, the health worker should consider some degrees in the case of patients. Let us not forget that medical professionals had their oath and they must not focus on how to become wealthy, service always comes first.
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