Health is under threat!

By: Atty. Bernardo BERNI M. Luceres

No doubt, Health is Wealth. It is another accepted precept that the rich and the poor are on equal level on this aspect. From the time of birth, the persons first wealth is health. As a person gets older, health becomes an issue. He starts to think how could he prevent and control his diseases to have a long life. To preserve his health, considering the multivitamins and medicines are high and their prices are rising, he inescapably gets sick. Regarding this ridiculous situation, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. opined The less you think about your health the better, if you mean to keep as well as possible. With unreasonable high prices of food, food supplements and medicines, people are amazed that some elderly could maintain themselves fit. In fact the media feature them since their story is phenomenal. It is because the general observation, is that poor people have poor health. With this problem, the people should only pray for a sane mind and sound body.

The government must do its constitutional mandate now to make sure that the people continue to afford decent health care in the country.

For the first time in Philippine Constitution, the importance of health is clearly enshrined in the 1986 Constitution under the Social Justice and Human Rights, to quote: Sec. 11. The State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost. There shall be priority to the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children. The State shall endeavor to provide form free medical care to paupers. Sec. 12. The State shall establish and maintain an effective food and drug regulatory system and undertake appropriate health manpower development and research, responsive to the countrys health needs and problems. Sec. 13. The State shall establish a special agency for disabled persons for their rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance, and their integration to the mainstream of society. To further give importance to health, the present Constitution under State Policies provides: Sec. 15. The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. The Constitutional Convention provided for the same due to the well-founded fear of the framers that unless the rights to health are mandated as state policies by the constitution itself, and unless we

highlight their continuing importance upon the state as a solemn obligation to preserve and maintain good health among its citizenry, the day would not be too far when more lives would be lost due to poor health administration.

1 Points of Law Atty. Berni M. Luceres Manila Times / Barangay News Date February 21, 2007 (Wednesday)