In Ambulansyang de Paa, Kara David featured how the residents of a poor Mangyan community of Apnagan in Oriental Mindoro transport their sickly and injured members to be able access medical care. The hospital is a long way from their community, and health conditions which could be remedied end up becoming severe and end-stage due to the lack of attention provided. Personally, this is not the first time I have been made aware about the lack of access to medical facilities in geographically isolated areas, yet every time I am reminded, it is always heartbreaking to realize that grave inequality exists in our country.
Pre-hospital care refers to the timely provision of emergency medical services, including initial evaluation, management, and prompt transfer to definitive care. It is essential in reducing morbidity and mortality in life-threatening conditions if appropriately provided. Pre-hospital care plays a critical role in the management of time-sensitive emergency conditions as these often require immediate resuscitation and stabilization. As evident in the documentary, those residing in faraway areas would need to walk for hours in a perfidious journey to be able to visit a local health center which may also be ill-equipped to address the patient’s condition. From a medical standpoint, this would greatly influence patient outcomes in a negative manner and oftentimes would result in the deterioration of the patient. It is imperative that efforts to improve the country’s pre-hospital care system, particularly in geographically isolated areas, must be made to substantially reduce preventable deaths.