Scarcity

Maria Angela V. Salas

Several months ago, my friends and I had a camp in a remote area in Carmen,

Bohol. The experience was very worth because of the scenic surrounding and the

extraordinary adventures we did. In our two days of stay in the place, we met and

mingled with the people living there. However, our second day of stay in the place

broke the astonishment and enjoyment we had. Our second day of stay was wrapped

with despairs.

While cooking food for our lunch, I noticed a sudden locomotion in a small house

few meters away from our tent. Several minutes passed, some people were already

screaming and crying while some were shouting for help. My friends and I were

surprised. We noticed two children who looked very pale, weak and were freezing. At

that moment, a resident told us that the two children were seriously ill for two weeks

already. According to them, they frequently brought the children to their village health

station but the treatment was not successful because the medicines and supplies are

inferior and rarely available. The parents of the two children cannot afford to bring

them in a hospital due to lack of financial capacity. They added that for how many

years, they only rely on alternative medicines every time they are sick. At that moment,

I witnessed a financial consequence of ill health.

Excruciating it may be, but the scenario above is typical in every region in our

country.
 Hospitals and small health units play an important role in providing health care,

particularly to the underprivileged. Filipinos are still longing that the Philippine health

care system will be at its best services for all walks of life throughout the country.

Nevertheless, our country still has a long way to go in attaining a sustainable, high-

quality, and cost-efficient healthcare system that can be accessed by all Filipinos.