Duterte-Cayetano: Zero tax for doctors who’ll go to provinces to provide health care services

“Zero tax plus subsidy.”

The tandem of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has these to offer to medical doctors who are willing to go to the country’s provinces to provide health care services to Filipinos.

Cayetano made this assurance before medical practitioners at the 21st Joint Convention of the Philippine Society of Hypertension (PHS) and the Philippine Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society (PLAS) on Thursday.

“The country’s disorder can be seen in the sorry state of our health care system. Halos lahat ng doktor nasa Maynila at malalaking siyudad. Dapat pumunta sila sa mga probinsiya kung saan sila mas kailangan,” Cayetano said.

Citing government statistics, the senator said 7 out of 10 Filipinos die without seeing a doctor.

“We have to increase public doctors’ salaries so that more practitioners will go to the public hospitals,” he said, as he encouraged the country’s doctors to go to the provinces to provide services to the people.

“We will guarantee their safety, exempt them from paying income taxes, and even give them additional subsidy,” Cayetano assured.

The tandem said the lack of public health workers and facilities in rural areas deprives patients of the proper treatment they need. Hence, if elected, they vowed to pave the way for more accessible health care services in the countryside, like specialty hospitals in Visayas and in Mindanao, as well as tertiary hospitals in the regions.

“In the ARMM alone, it takes a patient 60.9 minutes to reach the nearest hospital. This is criminal. This is totally unacceptable,” Cayetano said.

“There should be no second-class citizens with regards to health care. Tama na ang gulo at hirap sa kawalan ng maayos na health care system. Panahon na para sumaya ang mga Pilipino,” Cayetano concluded./DC-HQ

ADVERTISEMENT

Visitor Counter

Pages