The Philippines is an archipelagic country, there many small islands, located in the south-eastern part of Asia. Over 7,500 islands are a part of the Philippines. It occupies roughly 300,000 square KM of area. Philippines is a developing nation with many resources at its hand. But, its geographic location makes it prone to frequent earthquakes and typhoons. It has many diverse and rich life forms. It has one of the greatest bio diversities in the world. With a total GDP of over $1 Trillion USD, it is the 36th biggest economy in the world.
Private Healthcare and Public Healthcare in the Philippines
Many healthcare burden taken up by the private sector due to lack of government funds. The World Health Organization define Philippines healthcare as fragmented due to the difference in healthcare options for the poor and the rich. Private healthcare isn’t cheap. Many people in the Philippines cannot afford the healthcare they need from public schemes. So, the healthcare in the Philippines is in a state of turmoil. As of 2018, the total expenditure on healthcare by the country’s government is about 4.5% of its GDP. That is considerably less compared to countries like the US and Canada, who spend over 10% and 17% of their GDPs towards healthcare.
In fact, the Philippines is one of the few nations that spends so little on its healthcare. But, initiatives are being taken up the government to fill the gap. The healthcare in the nation used to be worse. But, after their independence in the United States in 1946, they have improved considerably. Some great initiatives were taken by the Republic of the Philippines to improve hygiene and establish medical schools, especially the ones concentrating on public health. The country still faces many problems when it comes to public healthcare, but it is slowly improving by taking up initiatives that have shown positive signs.
Capital City of the Philippines
Manila, the capital city of the Philippines is the most developed cities in the nation. It is probably one of the few places in the country where healthcare is very good. It is also home to many medical colleges. Some of the best colleges of the country are located in its capital. Every year, many students from all over the world, especially India come to the Philippines to study various courses. Medicine in the Philippines is very popular among Indian students as in India, medical education is very expensive and has a lot of competitions for only a handful of seats. This is driven Indian students to search for other options such as studying medicine abroad. Also, studying abroad gives a lot of different exciting opportunities.
The Philippines is a country with a low cost of living. Also, the fee in many medical schools in the country is also quite reasonable. This has attracted students from India and many other countries. The quality of education is also very high in the country’s medical schools. Due to the stark shortages of medical personnel, the Philippines Medical Association has taken up initiatives to improve the situation. This means that there are a lot of opportunities for medical professionals in the country. Also, there are some world class hospitals in the Philippines such as The Alabang Medical Centre, The Medical City, The Makati Medical Centre etc, which are all private institutions.
Medical Colleges & Schools in the Philippines
MBBS in the Philippines is called as MD. Although it is the same course, they have just given it a different name. Many medical colleges in the country are recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and take admissions from international students. Philippines has many great hospitals with shortage of personnel. So, the opportunities in the country are also very good. For this reason, the number of students applying to Philippines medical schools has increased considerably in the past couple of years.
Although healthcare in the Philippines isn’t great, it is slowly improving. The country isn’t developed and doesn’t have enough funds to improve its healthcare system yet. But, with many students graduating from medical schools in the country, the number of quality medical professionals is increasing and this is a good sign. With international acceptance, the medical schools have also improved constantly. The Philippines surely will benefit from its medical colleges.
