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The medical field is one of the many where Filipino professionals are known to excel the most. With their skills and excellent services rendered to patients, Filipino nurses and doctors have made a mark in overseas assignments making the Filipino workforce take pride in their dedication to their work and commitment to serve suffering people.
In Qatar, where there are 17,900 Filipinos working in government offices and 125,000 employed in private businesses, Filipino nurses and doctors are among those who have gained the respect and admiration of many.
"Filipinos are very flexible, we have plethora of talents, one of those is adaptability to new culture and environment and their work culture. Since they are following the same standards and policy with regard to health, we can also apply the same standards and policy that we have practised in the Philippines," Dr Alejandro T Sarmiento Jr told Qatar Tribune.
Dr Sarmiento is one of the ten Filipino doctors who are part of the dynamic medical team at Al Safa Medical Polyclinic. He has 20 years of experience in the profession including eight years in Qatar.
Further talking about the strengths of the character of Filipino doctors, Dr Sarmiento said that among the dominant traits of Filipino physicians is being meticulous in delivering proper diagnosis and treatment to their patients.
"In my practice, I make sure to handle my patients - whether Filipinos, Qataris or other expats - with passion and the highest standards of care," he added.
Dr Nova Christine Dela Cruz, a dermatology specialist and another member of Al Safa's pool of experts, further stressed the rich experiences of Filipino doctors in dealing with various cases and situations while practising in their home country.
"I have been a dermatologist for the last 15 years in the Philippines and just begun a new practice here in Qatar. Being trained in a third-world country, where the ratio of doctors to patients is very poor, we have the advantage of handling huge numbers of patients every single day. This situation enables us to manage a variety of cases in many ways and observe a range of results. We receive patients from different walks of life making us learn how to adjust to the uniqueness of each and individual's personality. That is why, when abroad, Filipino doctors are flexible with excellent professional ethics. We are fluent and very adaptable," she said.
When asked about the challenges of practising medicine abroad, Dr Dela Cruz underscored that despite the typical challenges facing any Filipino leaving their family behind like homesickness, the innate nature of Filipinos of being resilient is also an important trait of many Filipino professionals in the medical field.
"Filipino physicians undergo rigorous training in their respective fields before they get to become certified specialists, which makes them better-- be it in diagnosing and managing medical conditions. Filipino doctors are also taught and trained to listen to and explain things while managing patients," said Dr Sherwin Suaib Abubakar, a specialist in head and neck surgery serving at Al Safa Medical Polyclinic.
Dr Abubakar has seven years' experience as a medical consultant in the Philippines and served for one year as a specialist with Al Safa Medical Polyclinic.
Al Safa Medical Polyclinic is a healthcare provider operating under the umbrella of Al Jaber Group. Founded with the initial goal of providing health care to the employees of the group, the Polyclinic quickly grew to accommodate myriads of patients, treating a wide range of illnesses. Al Safa Medical Polyclinic is a top-of- the-line institution with multi-specialty care and supported by a fully functioning laboratory and radiology services. It is currently managed by Charbel Youssef Ghanem as its Managing Director.
Among Al Safa's current services are general dentistry, ENT, general surgery, OBGYNE, paediatrics, orthopaedics, physiotherapy, medical laboratory, clinical biochemistry, X-ray, MRI, CT Scan and ultrasound.
