Saturday, September 09, 2006
Arroyo appeals to medical workers to stay in RP
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo told doctors and medical students not to go abroad in order to get higher pay because they can stay in the Philippines and work as medical transcriptionists at the same salary rate.
"I'd like to make special mention to frustrated doctors, don't leave medical school because medical transcription (is here)," Arroyo said at a roundtable discussion on the Cyberservices Corridor in Malacañang.
The Cyberservices Corridor, one of the super regions identified by Arroyo in her July 2006 State of the Nation Address, delivers medical transcription as one of its services. The area runs from Baguio in north Luzon to Davao in Mindanao.
The Philippines keeps losing its doctors abroad, especially to the US, where they seek employment after studying nursing. There are 50 medical transcription firms and 13 schools in the country. Revenues from medical transcription were estimated at US$70 million in 2005.
Rainero Borja, chairman of the Business Process Association of the Philippines, said medical transcriptionists get salaries ranging from P12,000 to P50,000 a month. He said transcriptionists are also needed in operating rooms to help doctors in document procedures, which are included in patients' records.
Aside from medical transcription, there is also legal and entertainment transcription.
During the same roundtable conference, Arroyo also promoted the animation industry, saying "The Incredibles", the animated film about a family of undercover superheroes, is her favorite because it was made in the Philippines. She said animation is a booming industry in the country.
Grace Dimaranan, president of the Animation Council of the Philippines, said Arroyo watched "The Incredibles" with her grandchildren. She said Virginia "Gini" Cruz, a Filipina 3D animator, designed the character of "Violet," the invisible girl and the eldest of three children of Helen and Robert Parr, the main characters. The other kids were Dash and Jack-Jack.
Filipinos were also behind some of the cartoons and animated films such as "Finding Nemo", "Scooby Doo", "Tom and Jerry", "The Adams Family", "Hoodwinked", "The Mask", "Captain Planet", "The Jetsons", and "The Powerpuff Girls".
Arroyo said the animation industry has offered competitive salaries, with estimated revenues last year reaching US$54 million. The animation industry employs 4,500 full-time employees in 40 animation studios in the country.
Animation capabilities include 2D and 3D, interactive gaming, medical animation, visualization, and e-learning courses.
Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said government has allocated P5.175 billion next year for the enhancement of the country's digital infrastructure.
"Government is worried about the deepening 'digital divide', which is a concern among governments all over the world. That is why ICT (information and communications technology) applications will be given primordial attention," Andaya said.
He said P1 billion will be infused to the E-Government Fund and another P1.1 billion to the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) to carry out its mandate to develop the nation as a world-class ICT services provider through the "cyberservices" corridor project.
He said the P1-billion E-Government Fund for this year has been used to fund the e-government portal, eUniversity, eLGU, Community eCenter, and Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.
Andayan said P815 million was also allocated for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to use information technology to flush out tax dodgers, improve tax take, and handle taxpayer queries.
The P132.88 billion budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) includes a P260 million Computer-Linkage Program for 4,830 public high schools.
For next year, P2 billion was earmarked for the Department of Foreign Affairs' Machine Readable e-Passport Project. Of the P2 billion, P1.88 billion will be used to purchase passport booklets while the remaining P120 million will be spent for data capturing equipment. (JMR/Sunnex)
(September 9, 2006 issue)
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