The Distribution of Dermatologists in the Philippines
Rowena F Genuino, Maria Jasmin J Jamora, La Verne Ivan H Espiritu, Emilio Q Villanueva

TL;DR
This paper maps the uneven distribution of dermatologists in the Philippines, highlighting shortages outside the capital region and suggesting ways to improve access to skin care.
Contribution
The study provides the first comprehensive analysis of dermatologist distribution in the Philippines using updated professional and health insurance data.
Findings
Most dermatologists are concentrated in the National Capital Region, with very few in Mindanao.
The overall dermatologist density is low, at about 1 per 100,000 people.
Only 29.44% of dermatologists are PhilHealth-accredited, and the dermatologist-to-GP ratio is 1:30 nationally.
Abstract
Background: Equitable health manpower distribution is essential for the successful implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) program by the Philippine Department of Health. Mapping the distribution and profile of dermatologists in the Philippines can improve Filipinos’ access to skin disease treatment. Methods: A review of the database of dermatologists from the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) members’ directory (as of November 2023), as well as the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) database (as of July 2023), was conducted. The distribution of PDS-accredited dermatologists was analyzed by geographic location, demographic profile (age and sex), density (per 100,000 people), and the dermatologist-to-general practitioner (GP) ratio. Heatmaps illustrating the distribution of dermatologists in the Philippines and the ratio of PhilHealth-accredited PDS…
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Taxonomy
TopicsMedicine and Dermatology Studies History · Diversity and Career in Medicine · Social Media in Health Education
