Similar to any other third-world country, the Philippines struggles with health issues. Its citizens, Filipinos, are definitely in better condition now then they were fifty years ago, however the nations’ health improvement is slow compared to its Asian neighbors. They face serious challenges with regard to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), which targets on maternal well-being, nutrition, universal primary education, and environmental stabibility, but have largely remained unmet. One considerably big difficulty is illegal drug use. The majority of Filipinos are addicted to prohibited stimulants. Drug users in the Philippines are mostly young people. Present illicit drugs include marijuana, LSD, opiates, and barbiturates. While there are exact statistics available due to minimal investment and resources locally and nationally, it is estimated that as many as 60,000 adolescents in the Philippines are dealing with drug addiction. There are still some recorded incidents of drug abuse, the number of citizens dependent has progressively decreased. Fortunately, the authorities have taken large steps to correct this problem.
Another major health issue in the Philippines is also malnutrition. Studies conducted have shown that the Filipinos that suffer from undernourishment are the poor ones. Fortunately, the Philippines’ Department of Health and the government has been attempting to conquer this problem by providing projects to help poverty-stricken Filipinos from starvation. Other leading issues is tuberculosis, a high incidence of diarrhoea and respiratory infection in children, malaria and low mortality rate remain ever-present.
In spite of all these documented diseases, the healthcare system is still considered to be of a relatively good standard. The facilities are not as impressive as those found in the US, but they can accomplish most “hospital” procedures. The top Philippine hospitals include the Medical Centre in Alabang, the Asian Hospital, the Makati Medical Centre, the Medical City in Ortigas, and St. Lukes Medical Centre in Quezon City. Also, the majority of medical practioners in the Philippines are often graduates from top universities in the country and have studied at medical schools as well.
