Integrated Clinical Clerkship in Emergency Medicine AY 2021- 2022

The Philippines is vulnerable geographically and socioeconomically. Given the numerous calamities, GIDAs, and the glaring inequity in our country, these are also reflected in our response to crises and the state of our health care. This context further highlights the importance of pre-hospital care when it comes to improving health outcomes. Since pre-hospital care is the first response and care given to a patient, it is vital in improving the prognosis of the patient’s condition. Oftentimes, a lot of patients are unable to afford long-term care, which leads to the different acute life-threatening conditions that are addressed in the ED. Thus, prevention and primary care are essential in moving towards a better health care system. This would mean increasing the capability of barangay health stations and rural health centers to respond to emergency cases and end up with a proper plan for disposition. Timeliness, together with non-discriminatory access to emergency care are important elements of providing quality primary and emergency care services to the Filipino population. Timeliness and universal access can be achieved through interlinkages of institutions, efficient coordination systems, and having enough resources including prehospital providers and facilities even in the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. To accomplish this, adequate funding is needed, which is strongly related to the first point of improvement—political will. By improving this level of care, many deaths and long-term disabilities could be prevented.