I HAD a long and extensive discussion last Wednesday with VIPS of the University of the Philippines — Dr. Leo Cubillan, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dra Carmencita D. Padilla, immediate past chancellor of UP Manila; and Dr. Eva Marie Cutiongco-Dela Paz, immediate past vice chancellor of UP Manila.
Padilla and Dela Paz, arguably the country’s leading geneticists, were at the helm of the National Institutes of Health until recently, but have been retained to oversee the NIH as it seeks to finalize the completion of its new home within the UP College of Medicine compound. The new building will bring under one roof the 17 research institutes that make up the NIH.
‘Chronic illness is a fact of life for millions of Filipinos, and for them and their loved ones, it is, as I explain to some friends, a second cross to bear…’
Built to international standards required of a research facility, this new building will allow the NIH to finally accept research grants from all over the world that it needs to carry out its mission.
It was noteworthy for me that all three of these UP VIPs once upon a time studied physiology under my father at the UP College of Medicine.
The afternoon sun was beaming down harshly on me as I walked up the steps of Quezon Hall, the administration building of UP Diliman, taking up the flight of stairs to the third-floor offices of Dr. Cubillan. It was pitch dark when I came out, almost three hours later. In between, we discussed so many things about the NIH, the state of health care; research, of course, and even the challenges facing UP students coming from grossly disadvantaged communities all over the country.
Of the numerous topics we discussed, that left an imprint on me, one remark by Dr. Cubillan has nagged at me ever since. The majority of Filipino families, he said, are just one illness away from descending into abject poverty.
One illness away.
I could not agree more.
When my father weakened sharply in August of 2016 he required admission to a hospital, the closest medical center to where we were staying was St. Luke’s Global City/BGC. It wasn’t my first choice, my default always being the Philippine General Hospital, but I was advised that my father would be better attended to at St Luke’s, so I agreed.
He stayed for two weeks; after he had been stabilized and upon his request I was allowed to take him home to my place of residence just a few blocks away. The hospital bill was significant, but at least in my case, it wasn’t enough to plunge me into abject poverty. Not only that; I had a most generous boss who guaranteed my payment to St. Luke’s, which helped me breathe easier.
How many are as lucky as I am?
My experience with my father (who passed away quietly two weeks after being discharged) left me all the more conscious of the situation so many of my friends and acquaintances are in, they who have not been able to save some for rainy days and are the folks that Dr. Cubillan was referring to. That my father passed away as quietly and quickly as he did was another “gift” he gave me, sparing me and my brothers the challenge of settling medical bills that can pile up and crush even middle-class families.
Chronic illness is a fact of life for millions of Filipinos, and for them and their loved ones, it is, as I explain to some friends, a second cross to bear in addition to the cross one carries trying to make ends meet daily.
Yes, millions of Filipinos are unprepared for a family member falling ill, and even though we have a wide and extended network of blood and social “relations,” oftentimes all that you can expect from others is a prayer for fast healing.
In the meantime, the bills pile up even as the future remains uncertain, even bleak.
One illness away from abject poverty: that’s the reality for so many of us.
So do what you can, as early as you can, to prepare yourself and your loved ones for this eventuality.
