Bayaran

For several years now, I have been pushing myself to make and publish one research paper per year.  However, teaching research to medical students and resident physician trainees, my ideas end up as their research topics for requirement purposes.

Moreso the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt, and now we are desperately trying to jumpstart efforts to encourage staff to do researches that would impact policy change, direct clinical management practices and improve health systems.  Collaborating with other healthcare professionals and academicians hopefully will help make work easier to bear.

Our hospital has begun work on COVID-19 related researches looking into the Impact of COVID-19 on the Healthcare System, Patient Management and on Healthcare workers.  Our first step was to start talking about our experiences during the COVID-19 response, looking back at how we handled the different circumstances for patient and healthcare worker safety.  We invited speakers and organized webinars for the staff and the general public.

For tonight's tweetchat, I get inspiration from our current endeavor on the COVID19 RESEARCH PROGRAM and the news article on DENR spokesperson Undersecretary Benny Antiporda lashing out at UP scientists calling them "bayaran" or paid workers.

1. What is your perception of the state of scientific research in the Philippines?

2.  What kind of support do scientists need to create  an enabling environment for conducting research?

3. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, what type of researches do you think scientists should be focusing on?

NGOs bridge the GAP

Locked in a closet for privacy, I snuck out during lunch break to deliver a message to partner NGOs during the provincial NGO network KAABAG SA SUGBU General Assembly to encourage them to continue collaboration, partnerships and consortia.  Main messages I want to share is that:

1.  There is a big role for NGOs in the community especially despite of or moreso because of COVID19 pandemic.  Obviously the government is not capable of providing all essential public services to the communities.  NGOs bridge the gap.

2.  Teamwork makes the dream work.  Each NGO complements each other in projects, activities, movements. As Hal Atienza says "we make things happen".

3.  There is power in numbers.  We continue to be watchdogs for peace and order, social justice, and good governance.  We call out political leaders who might abuse their powers.

4.  The solution to pollution is dilution.  There is a lot of fake news that abounds on social media where our children are these days.  It is our moral and ethical responsibility to make sure that accurate reliable information is equally available to the general public.