Without the White Coat
By Florentino P. Alerta II, M.D.

Occupational Medicine… the practice in Iloilo

It has been four years now after I attended the basic course in Occupational Medicine in the fulfillment of the requirements of the Bureau of Working Standards of the Department of Labor and Employment under the provisions of Article 160 of the Labor Code of the Philippines in one of the hotels in Metro Iloilo. I never did understand what the practice and specialty of Occupational Medicine was about. Way back in the early years in medical school the only specialties that we have in mind was the famous cutting fields of Surgery, OBGYNE, EENT and Orthopedics, and those that take care of the organ system or group of tissues—Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. We never came across some of the specialties that take care of the entire human being and his family—Family Medicine or Family Practice/Physicians and never had the slightest idea that workers and employees of workplaces and occupations are believed to be treated and taken for by either an internist or a generalist. We have never been taught in the early days in the medical proper education that such specialties exist, that there are work-related diseases and there are special studies like occupational and environmental epidemiology or a course in Ergonomics and a special field of what they call Industrial Hygiene. Indeed, we never heard about an occupational health practitioner or specialist in our midst. Family Medicine and Occupational Medicine then were unheard of in the earlier stages of our medical training. (But thanks to the College of Medicine of CPU which instituted this two practices as part of their teaching curriculum.)

We took the basic course in Occupational Medicine hoping to land a job as a company retainer or physician but we tend to forget what we have learned in the field of Occupational Medicine which is to implement an occupational health program (OHP) for the company that we serve. We were made to believe that our local chapter of the Philippine College of Occupational Medicine will provide us employment after we finish our basic course that was offered by the College. (Isn't it our duty to look for companies suggested by our basic course and present ourselves to that company with a planned medical program for the workers, and if it is a plant a complete Occupational Health and Safety Program, it is not the duty of your local chapter to look for companies for you for some situations they can only recommend your services to those that they know.)

After a year at the helm of the presidency of the local chapter of PCOM, it has been a one man-show from osteoporosis screening, blood letting drives to early screening test like cholesterol and fasting blood sugar. (For those members who need documentary support for such activities we have the pictures to prove it) Occupational and Industrial Medicine were introduced as early as first year in the medical school in the College of Medicine of CPU where lectures and seminars in Occupational Health were given the students which made them aware of environmental pollutions, ergonomic measures, occupational and environmental epidemiology and how to address the diagnosis and treatment of work related disease and how they differ from the everyday diseases that we see in our daily practice. We have been teaching the medical students that the pulmonary diseases that we see in our daily practice were totally different from the pulmonary diseases that we see in the workplace. We have started to educate and inform the public and our community thru cable television that there is a specialty called “Occupational Medicine” and lay forum and lectures were started among some groups in the community teaching them that there is a physician that specializes in the health of workers and all occupations… the occupational health practitioner or specialist that was trained in Occupational and Industrial Medicine. It is only the specialty that deals with three government agencies (DOLE, DOH, DILG) and had been working closely with these agencies.

For those who want to be company physicians or retainers here are some good advices: first be trained and attend the basic course on occupational medicine as required by the Labor Code of the Philippines and join your local chapter of PCOM. Just don't call the employer or the HR department of the industry or company, present a planned medical program or, simply said, an Occupational Health and Safety Program (OHSP) to fit the company needs. Make yourself presentable to the company through good public relation and with all the programs in occupational health and safety in hand I don't see any thing that will hamper you from getting the job. Know the laws and regulations that govern the employment of workers pertaining to their health. By the way, don't demand for an election of officers of PCOM if until now you still don't have any company in hand, again let me reiterate that it is not the function of the local chapter to look for a job for you.Before you demand for an election of officers why don't you first pay your annual dues to the local chapter and the college. (I rest my case)