Support for social infrastructure
Step into a future where the Filipino spirit shines brighter than ever, fueled by the government's unwavering support for the country's social infrastructure.
Picture this: Public schools transformed into havens of learning, with increased budget allocations ensuring not only adequate pay for teachers but also state-of-the-art facilities that inspire young minds to soar. Meanwhile, in every barangay, health centers stand ready to serve, equipped with the latest technology and fully stocked with essential medicines, made easily accessible through innovative digital applications like telemedicine.
But that's not all: training programs at medical schools seamlessly integrate medicine and technology, producing a new generation of healthcare professionals equipped to revolutionize our healthcare system from within.
With this investment in education and healthcare, the need for Filipinos to seek opportunities abroad diminishes, as they find fulfillment and prosperity right here at home. In this future, every Filipino has the opportunity to thrive and succeed. The future is bright, and it begins today!
Government support has enabled public schools to not only adopt modern tech-enabled classrooms, but also educate teachers on how to use said classrooms.
Filipino medical school students eagerly gather around their professor (a Master's degree holder in bioinformatics) as he introduces them to the latest advancements in healthcare technology. With the aid of cutting-edge AI systems, they immerse themselves in simulated surgeries, honing their diagnostic skills and mastering intricate procedures with precision and confidence. As they navigate virtual operating rooms and analyze complex medical data, these aspiring doctors embrace the transformative power of AI in revolutionizing patient care. With each passing day, they inch closer to a future where technology and compassion intertwine, shaping a new era of healthcare excellence in the Philippines.
Selected Quotes
[W]e need someone who's tech-adept in the government, [specifically] [the Department of Health (DOH)]. Because...you see, a lot of these things — AI models...these tech interventions to healthcare — they're not cheap; someone has to pay for it. So patients, they definitely will not pay extra. We're Filipinos; if we have an option to just not pay for it, we're not gonna go for that: "Oh, we'll just go for the normal one". Doctors definitely will not pay extra. Why would they? Hospitals won't. So the only way this can get across is if the government is willing to invest in it. The government has to be willing to invest in it. And the only way the government can invest in it is if there's somebody there sitting there who knows the value of it, and who knows how these things work. That being said, you need someone tech-adept in DOH. So for example, like for [my] school, we have this one guy: our CTO is a doctor that knows tech. That's why all of this is possible. So yeah, we need someone like that...we need someone to be able to communicate tech ideas and medical ideas to all these hospitals and whatnot...[To make this all possible,] we need to invest in this type [of person], of course. Like for example...[i]f we can invest in [specialized] courses...in the Philippines, then it would be great. You can also train [medical school students]...[for example, by including] AI lectures in their studies. So this way, we don't even need to bring someone who's capable in both medicine and AI...[Medical school students] can have teachers to talk to them about medicine. They can also have teachers to talk to them about data science in AI. And they themselves will learn how to integrate both of these into the healthcare system in the future, once they go to the workforce.
...[O]ptimistically, [technology shouldn't] replace doctors and nurses, but it definitely makes a lot of health more accessible at large. So these are things like...if technology can make it incredibly easy for things like medical supplies...to be sent out, like it already knows, for example, what's the average number of each of...the most important medicines, and which places it should go to. So just in general, how to make it more accessible through understanding the relationship between...the illness has that are usually common in that area [and] illnesses that are common in general, and trying to balance the supply of what currently exists in that...province or that city. [Overall]...the people shouldn't be chasing the healthcare. The healthcare should be trying to reach out to the people on its own...
...I wish our country would just convert all their budget funds more to public health, education, and things like that. If we're being very optimistic, the government would transfer their budget from war and all the utangs that disappear to put it into a proper health care system for everyone. Also, improving public education from school to college. Because I know [that the University of the Philippines system] is suffering too...[The government should allocate] more budget towards the teachers, the school infrastructures. [We really need to] [p]ay teachers [more], actually. My brother goes to a public science high school, so the stories I hear about budgeting and also everything else, kind of messy...
All of the barangays will have their own health center...[these would be] connected to...[a centralized] system...in that sense, there will be a way to track everyone's health, but only in so far with what they're comfortable with...[I can imagine] personalized health recommendations...for [both] those who are healthy, [and] for those who are not healthy or needing medical attention, they do get attended to. And we [would also] have the capacity...as a country to provide for those that need it...
...Medicine is something that is always in stock, and people would always be aware where and when medicine goes out of stock. It's like when you would go to the pharmacy counter, and you would be told: "Sorry, there's no more Biogesic"... Okay, then either I go tomorrow, or I look somewhere else to like get that. I can also think of more digital applications for people to get [medicine and other health-related needs]; this is quite related to e-commerce in a way...
...In terms of health...real-life consultations won't be necessarily required. I guess [online medical] consultations [are] something that I anticipate will be more of a norm...more forward in the years but...doctors will still be available [in real life for those who need it]...Our hospitals and health centers will now have the capacity to accommodate the demand from Filipinos — regardless if it's just for a [consultation], if it's an emergency, if it's the usual thing [like a] dialysis, or whatever treatment needs to be done. But everyone would be able to get medical attention right away.
...I guess [another possibility would be]...making [medical] education more accessible for people, because...it's a lot of work to become a doctor. Like you need to pay a lot for med school, and then you...can't really work full time until you're like in your thirties...[which] just takes away a lot of like your prime earning years. So you need to have money to do that, to [be able to] not have a job for 10 years. So [technology could be] hopefully making those types of work more accessible to people...
[W]here we could probably do better is in terms of investments, innovation because there's no avenue right now to get investments, you just have to borrow money from a friend...something like that. There's no venture capital, there's a very non-existent start-up ecosystem...or you could go to DOST and get a grant from the government drop in the bucket. Unlike in like hyper economies like the UK and the US, you literally write a drawing on a napkin and you'll get half a million dollars, you know. They're...suffering from the opposite problem. Mediocre ideas are getting funded there. Here [in the Philippines], it can be an above average concept and you're barely raising money. So I feel now that...I don't know how to do it. Maybe we need to do a life hack there, and that applies across the board. Like you, you're gonna be in communication. What are the odds you'll be able to publish a movie? Never. Maybe Indie. If always Indie, why can't we have like mainstream good movies, right, that don't follow the formulas? Nothing [happens because] no one wants to take a risk. So that's why the plight of scientists, entrepreneurs, artists...[they're the] same, [including] writers. These are all the creative fields, they're all languishing. Because there's no investment in the economy happening...and that's why a lot of our brilliant fellowmen end up flying out and crafting better careers abroad anyway.
