In the Philippines, traditional medicine has yet to fully emerge from the long shadow of “faith healing.”
In the 1970s to 1980s, faith healers skyrocketed to fame and controversy, with not just foreigners but newsmakers like political and entertainment celebrities seeking out Filipinos who claimed extraordinary powers to perform medical miracles.
Prominent among these so-called faith healers is Alex Orbito, who performed “psychic surgery” using only his fingers to excise tumors from terminally sick, often wealthy and influential patients.
Many of these faith healers were scrutinized by journalists and the authorities. Despite charges filed against many practitioners and denouncements exposing the scams carried out by quack doctors, charlatans and con artists, many Filipinos continue to follow and attest to the efficacy of alternative healing practices and their advocates.
Conflating faith healing and traditional medicine as poor people’s alternatives is inescapable in a country where health institutions ironically represent imposing and daunting obstacles standing in the way of medical recovery and wellness.
Prohibitive expenses and well-publicized cases of medical malpractice involving hospitals and doctors spike the bias against the health establishment.
Sensational reportage by tri-media and claims and counterclaims made by news personalities that appear to be more motivated by a drive for publicity than a mission to inform and educate the public create health controversies, such as the ones involving the Dengvaxia vaccine and “tuob (steam inhalation)” as a cure allegedly for coronavirus disease (Covid-19), that further mire citizens in misinformation, confusion and anxiety.
Demonizing practitioners of Western and traditional medicine does not help citizens cope with the challenges of preventing disease, maintaining health and promoting physical and mental wellness.
There is a chasm in public perception and needs that is left unmet by Western medicine and is drawn to “alternative” healing due to its accessibility, affordability and efficacy.
However, without public education and regulation by the authorities, citizens are vulnerable to opportunists who exploit their health needs and gullibility for quick, effective cures that will not sink one in spiraling debt and insolvency.
Thus, the Cebu Provincial Government is to be lauded for recently entering an agreement with the Philippine Institute for Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) to introduce traditional and herbal medicine in hospitals in the province.
According to an Oct. 15 report in SunStar Cebu by Arvie N. Veloso and Tito P. Tan, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia ordered from November 2022 to January 2023 an assessment to improve the services in four provincial hospitals and 12 district hospitals.
Eight million pesos has been allocated to improve hospital facilities and services, including the salaries of healthcare workers.
A government corporation of the Department of Health, the PITAHC was created by Republic Act 8423, also known as the Traditional and Alternative Medical Act (TAMA) of 1997, authored by then senator Juan M. Flavier.
The PITAHC gathers data from clinical trials to establish the safety, efficacy and other benefits of traditional and complementary medicine (T & CM) modalities, including traditional Chinese medicine (such as acupuncture, qigong and tuina), Ayurveda, chiropractic, “hilot,” osteophathy, homeopathy, naturopathy and anthroposophy.
The involvement of DOH, research and academic institutions and other health professionals in PITAHC forms some guarantee against bogus claims and quack solutions associated with commercial forms of T & CM.
It is hoped that not just the public but also health care providers in the government and private sectors can be open to and mainstream T & CM modalities for universal health care, starting with the Cebu Provincial Government-PITAHC agreement.