‘Respect your profession and demand the same from others’

National Scientist Dr. Ernesto Domingo advised the class of 2016 to always value the medical profession  during the commencement of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH).

“I hope no one from among you will, in the future, issue a medical certificate in favor of a powerful and influential person indicted for a serious crime attesting to the fact that this person is suffering from a life-threatening (illness). When in fact, this statement is fictitious and issued only for obtaining special treatment for the accused.  This behavior is a blatant disrespect of the profession. Young graduates, respect your profession and demand the same from others,” he said.

Domingo, also a Ramon Magsaysay awardee, reminded the new graduates of the challenges they will face. As medical practitioners, he said, they possess “an enormous quantity of medical knowledge and the fantastic technologies this knowledge spawns.” With the knowledge, Domingo said, comes the risk of using it improperly.

 “In real life, there are many true stories that show the inappropriate application of medical knowledge and  technology to the detriment of the sick patient...It has to do with our failure to distinguish the difference between a person who happens to be afflicted by an illness or disease as against a disease ravaging a human being,” he said.

A doctor’s obligation is not just limited to restoring the health of the patient, he stressed.  It is also the physician’s responsibility to protect the patient’s financial resources.

“We physicians should be very protective of our patients’ financial resources. We are in a good position to ameliorate this devastating consequence of illness,” Domingo said.

Domingo is an advocate of public health.  In 2008, he, together with some colleagues, started the Universal Health Care (UHC) Study Group. The group pushed for the creation of UHC in the country. He played a key role in the creation of the government’s UHC program  ‘Kalusugan Pangkalahatan.’ 

“There is a tremendous disparity in access to quality health care within the population. Simply put, the poor has no access, the well to do’s access and consumption is too much…This is the challenge to us— to make our services available in the service of primary health care and UHC,”  he challenged the graduates.

The commencement ceremony of ASMPH was held at the Henry Lee Irwin Theatre on June 4, 2016.