Low Annual Physical Checkup Rates in the Philippines: Exploring the Root Cause
In a recently concluded study by Capstone-Intel Corporation, it was revealed that only around 40 percent of Filipinos do and commit to their recommended annual physical checkups. Initially, the thought that entered my head was one that involved commenting on the irresponsibility of Filipinos and proceeding to express how important it is to get that annual checkup. However, upon reflection, it led to the realization that the other percentage does not seem unreasonable at all. In hindsight, it is a demographic that I am a part of as well. This has also led to considering the reason why it is hard to constantly go to the doctor despite not being benignly sick, and the root cause of this mindset is due to how the medical field situation is in the Philippines. It is also important to consider that any personal standpoint also includes the context in which other demographics I exist in. As someone who is in a more privileged position, if this is the opinion that I hold, it stands to reason that there are others who have it much worse. Personally, there’s no sense of urgency to go to the clinics to get a checkup if it does not feel as though there are any symptoms or sickness that needs to be addressed. The main reason behind this is that consultations with doctors can be really expensive. In most cases, it may be the doctor just telling us that there is no problem, making it feel like a waste of money since it’s something that was felt by the individual in the first place. Even if people are sick, there’s a certain mindset that it would be easy to just recover from any sickness through rest and drinking enough water. This is a cheaper and more familiar alternative to buying the consistently expensive medicine prescribed by doctors or even going through the procedures ordered by those doctors. It is important to emphasize that annual checkups are important in a preventive rather than a recovery sense. However, it would be easier to be convinced to do this if the way in which medical care was accessed was more inclusive for more people. At its core, while it can be said that the solution falls into the hands of the individual person, it is also important to consider that another reason for the hesitance is rooted in inaccessibility. Issues such as these must be tackled at the source, rather than using those who have been victimized by this system as scapegoats. If this is done correctly, maybe the percentages will go higher as the days go by. — The preceding statement relates to a survey conducted by Capstone-Intel Corporation.
