During yesterday’s press briefing, acting Deputy Secretary for Public Health Administration John M. Tagabuel said if more private clinics will participate in the healthcare reform initiative, doctors at CHC will be able to concentrate on their patients.
Tagabuel said the initiative includes dental clinics.
“We are urging the private clinics to partner with CHC in providing primary care for the patients so CHC can focus on hospital-based services,” he said.
Acting Public Health Secretary Pete T. Untalan earlier said that sharing the patient load with the participating private clinics/medical practitioners would mean a gradual reduction in the number of primary physicians at CHC.
It would also eliminate duplicative services and allow the growth of the private medical sector, he added.
Public Health Medical Director Richard Brostrom said for the past five years, services at the pediatrics and internal medicine clinics have been reduced due to shortage of doctors and staff.
He said some of the patients now go to private clinics for consultation instead of going to CHC.
Brostrom said some local doctors have agreed to work for CHC for a short period of time in the next months.
But the local doctors will only work for the hospital for one or two months, Brostrom said.
Currently, the pediatrics and the internal medicine departments are in need of doctors.
