PH needs 100 more hospitals to retain doctors

The Philippines needs at least 100 new hospitals within the next three years and an improved incentive system to keep its doctors and medical personnel from seeking work abroad.

In a press conference yesterday, Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines president Dr. Rustico Jimenez said the ideal bed to patient ratio is 100,000 beds for the country’s 100 million population.

“Now we only have 77,000 bed capacity in the 1,800 hospitals we have in the country. We will need more hospitals to be built to achieve the ideal number,” he said.

Jimenez is one of the speakers at the Hospital Management Asia 2014 conference which started yesterday and will run until Saturday.

There are 831 delegates from 35 countries across the world who gathered at the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu to talk about issues and the latest trends in the hospital management industry.

Out of the 1,800 hospitals, 900 are private hospitals which Dr. Jimenez said are better equipped and managed.

Dr. Jimenez said private hospitals especially those in key areas like Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao are already well equipped.

Incentives

“The government hospitals however are lagging behind and will need to catch up,” he said.

Dr. Jimenez cited the need to improve management in all hospitals to ensure that the country doesn’t lose its doctors and medical personnel.

He said the country’s hospitals are scared that they would lose more doctors with the coming Asean integration.

“We have a shortage of radiology technicians and medical technologists now. We must increase incentives to keep them from going,” Dr. Jimenez said.

Dr. Jimenez said investments in new and improved facilities will be useless if the country loses its doctors and medical personnel.