IN Northern Mindanao, a critical shortage of developmental pediatricians and allied health professionals has become a pressing concern.
To address this, the Social Development Committee (SDC) of the Northern Mindanao Regional Development Council (RDC-10) recently organized a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) at the National Economic and Development Authority-10 (Neda-10).
The FGD aimed to address the scarcity of professionals crucial for supporting children with developmental needs, building on the momentum from a recent national convention that passed a resolution highlighting this shortage.
Participants focused on identifying challenges and proposing practical solutions at both regional and national levels.
The discussion underscored the urgent need for early diagnosis and intervention for children with autism and other developmental disorders.
Currently, the region faces a severe backlog, with wait times for appointments reaching up to 3.5 years, drastically delaying necessary support.
One proposed solution is to bring in developmental pediatricians from other regions as visiting specialists to meet immediate needs.
The FGD also advocated for scholarships and fellowship grants to train more specialists, emphasizing the importance of enhancing medical training by increasing exposure to developmental pediatrics and supporting subspecialization through dedicated rotations and salary support during fellowships.
Training programs for educators and healthcare workers were also highlighted as essential for improving early detection and support for children with disabilities.
Additionally, participants suggested research into developmental conditions and workforce assessments to guide future policy and training initiatives.
The group also recommended allowing general pediatricians to issue Persons with Disability IDs, facilitating better access to benefits for children with disabilities.
Collaborating with higher education institutions to expand programs in speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy was also proposed.
To attract more professionals to the public sector and address the shortage, participants suggested conducting a comparative salary study to standardize pay.
The FGD emphasized the need for coordinated action to improve access to essential services for children with developmental conditions and to better support their families.
These findings and proposals will be presented to the RDC-10 for further discussion and potential policy action, marking a significant step toward resolving this critical issue in Region 10.
Key participants included the region’s only two developmental pediatricians, Dr. Annah Rebecca V. Doroja and Dr. Cindy Canceko-Llego, alongside representatives from the Philippine Academy of Occupational Therapists, the Philippine Association of Speech-Language Pathologists, the Philippine Physical Therapy Association, and the Autism Society of the Philippines.
The gathering also featured deans from prominent universities, Department of Health training hospitals, and relevant regional government offices.
