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THE DOCTOR IS IN

by Anthony C. Leachon, M.D.

One of the Ten Outstanding Filipino Physicians (TOFP) for 2008

INTRODUCTION Occasionally in life, there are moments which cannot be completely expressed in words. Their meaning can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart. Tonight is such a moment for me. I speak in behalf of my fellow physicians and colleagues in the medical profession, (Doctors Rommel Carino, Victor Dumaguing, Egidio Elio, Elvie-Henares- Esguerra, Mark Kho, Leonor Cabral-Lim, Rimando Saguin, Blessie de la Rosa-Salvador and Edward Wang) that we are all moved by such tribute and honor of being distinguished as top physicians of our land. Coming from a profession we have served long and loved so well, it fills us all with an emotion we cannot fully express. But this award is not intended primarily to honor personalities but to symbolize a moral code - the covenant, the code of conduct, and the calling of every Filipino physician. That is the true spirit of this award. For all ten of us, it is an expression of the vow we made in our Hippocratic Oath as doctors; it is the expression of what it means to be a Filipino physician in our times; an expression of the ethics and vocation of our being Filipino physicians. That we should be the visible, so-called distinguished face of such a noble an ideal, gives us tremendous pride; and yet we are also humbled because we know that our profession today faces tremendous challenges and that we as a community are yet to make a full impact in confronting the issues and addressing the health challenges that beset our profession and our country.

Dr. Leachon with Sen. Mar Roxas at GRF's 50th Anniversary launch last August 25, 2008

THE DOCTOR IS IN:

As a young child, I always dreamt of becoming a doctor. In my hometown in Calapan, Mindoro , there weren’t too many doctors as I was growing up. My father was a brilliant lawyer and a great role model to emulate but somehow the lure of wanting to be a doctor was more compelling. I was particularly enamoured by an artifact that was unmistakably always part of a physician’s clinic. This wasn’t the stethoscope nor the white gown --- it was the signage : “THE DOCTOR IS IN”. For those of you who remember how the signage looked like, it was in white plastic with a sliding part that covers half of the signage. It made its way to state whether the doctor is IN or OUT. As a child, I used to be thrilled sliding that IN & OUT signage.

As I was contemplating on what to say tonight, this imagery of my childhood was so vivid that my thoughts seemed to be framed in these four words: The DOCTOR IS IN – words that reverently dictate what I ought to be as a doctor, what I can be as a doctor, what I hope to leave behind as a legacy as a doctor.

(“THE DOCTOR IS IN”: what I ought to be as a doctor)

I remember the comfort and assurance I felt when we had to seek a doctor’s care and that signage was declaring he is in. Everyone in my small town rested with the assurance that the doctor is in. He is IN. He is available. He is accessible. And both the patient and the family are reassured that a healer is on hand.

The DOCTOR IS IN. Healer. Comforter. Reassurer.

The DOCTOR IS IN. Hope-giver. Cheerer and Inspirer.

I guess these were the underlying meanings of why we all wanted to be doctors in our childhood. In our blissful naivete’, we thought we could bring magic to the lives of people. A mere word about a doctor’s being around is reassuring enough. The centrality of the role of a doctor in a community’s sense of security, sense of stability, sense of completeness was deeply embedded in my psyche.

Tonight, I ask myself ---as a doctor, am I always in? Accesible. Available. Do I provide the magical reassuring presence to those who depend on me? Do I make the world around me a little more secure, a little more stable, a little more complete?

(“THE DOCTOR IS IN”: What I can be as a doctor)

As we move on in our personal and professional journeys, we realize that our “blissful dreams” of becoming a doctor requires more than just becoming a doctor. It requires us to be a distinguished practitioner. It requires us to be IN.

To be IN, one has to be truly learned. One has to be updated. Continuously improving. Continuously evolving. One has to be specialized. To be IN, one has to be networked with other professionals.

Committing to our dream of becoming a physician healer, comforter and hope-giver –means to commit to continuous learning, and constant evolution. The doctor is called upon to be an expert, a scientist, a humanist, a community leader, a futurist.

Today, I ask myself: As a doctor, am I IN? Am I more capable, more ready to face more complex challenges in my practice? AM I IN? Am I constantly COMING CLOSER to the underlying meaning of why I chose this profession? Am I fully involved in my greater calling as co-creator and co-healer and a co-builder of a better world?

But then again, IS THE DOCTOR really IN?

Is he in the country? Is he in the community? Is he really doing his part in building a legacy for those who shall come after him? Has he remained a doctor?

Is the doctor in, indeed?

I ask myself, am I in the fabric of building a better, healthier Philippines – building a better future for my children and their children?

I go back to my childhood and that ever-compelling artifact of a signage - THE DOCTOR IS IN – But, is he really?

• Is he concerned with the future?
• Is he fearless and passionate about making stands on policies that affect his profession? His country?
• Is he a central shaper of building a healthier happier Philippines ?
• Is he making a difference?

There are 50,000 doctors in the in the country today. We have at least 30 professional medical societies. Every year, our medical schools graduate about 3000 new doctors and roughly 50 % of them pass the board. Every year without fail, we induct the board passers to our Hippocratic Oath and make them serve our country and our people through their being doctors.

There are 1,494 towns and 35,000 barangays in the country. We have a population of 88 million and 40 % of this population have not seen a doctor. Since five years ago, we have been losing about 3000 Filipino doctors annually to other countries and to other professions for reasons we can only empathize but not necessarily agree with. The medical practice is indeed challenged. We are losing grip of many of our good and dedicated doctors.

Yet there are also countless doctors, other than the ten of us who are recognized tonight, who have toiled without the benefit of recognition, to make our country a better place for all of us Filipinos. Doctors who have chosen to stay in the country and serve our people and decided to forego greater economic gains & opportunities elsewhere.

Today, we accept this honor in their behalf, inspired with the renewed dedication to our Hippocratic covenant and promise to be healers, comforters, hope-givers, God’s helpers and country builders.

In closing, I dare to ask a complex question and provide an almost simplistic and naive answer.

What does it mean to be an outstanding Filipino physician today?

Simply, it means, to make the phrase “THE DOCTOR IS IN”, in its deepest meaning, become true, resonant and relevant to all Filipinos. Simply, it means, to be available and accessible to our countrymen. Simply, it means, to be constantly becoming better to serve others better. Simply, it means, to be passionately involved in creating and building a healthier and happier Philippines . Imagine what we can do, if we collectively proclaim “THE DOCTOR IS IN”. Imagine if every Filipino professional, every politician, every student, every government executive, every worker, every man on the street proclaims, “I AM IN!” What a real difference we can make, together, indeed. And what a beautiful country we can build. And all other blissful childhood dreams of weaving magic into our world would have been realized.

Tonight, in behalf of all the awardees of the TOFP, in behalf of all those dedicated unrecognized toilers in the medical field, all our elder physicians who formed and trained us; all the families that make great sacrifices to produce a doctor in their clan, all the parents who nurtured the childhood dreams of their sons and daughters; all our families, children and spouses alike, who have supported us in our quest to be faithful to our promise even if it took time away from them; and, all the patients, who rely on us, who have become our focus and inspiration in our pursuit of the betterment of our profession, I dare and boldly declare:

“THE DOCTOR IS IN!”

______________
* Dr. Leachon is a Gerry Roxas Leadership Awardee (GRLA) for Oriental Mindoro High School in 1977.

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