The Chiropractic Industry in the Philippines: Perspectives from a Chiropractor in Makati, Manila
There are less than two dozen chiropractors in the Philippines as of 2013, which represents a very small group of the 100,000 chiropractors in the world, who mostly practice in countries with advanced economies (the G8 countries). Chiropractic could be said to be in its pioneering stages of development in the Philippines.
Chiropractic has been around since 1895. It is a health care discipline that emphasizes the body’s inherent recuperative power to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health. Additionally, Doctors of Chiropractic recognize the value and responsibility of working cooperatively with other healthcare professionals when it is in the best interest of the patient.
Although there have been isolated members of the profession throughout the 1900s who lived and saw patients in the Philippines, the first Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) to establish a permanent chiropractic clinic in Manila was Dr. Uy in 1986. During the In the first decade there were about a dozen chiropractors who came to practice in the Philippines, of which only half remained. The next decade saw the total number of clinics doubling from 5 to 10. When I opened my chiropractic clinic in 2006 at SM Bacoor, Cavite and at Forbes, Makati in 2007, I was only the 10th chiropractor in the country.
Since 1988, the World Federation of Chiropractors (WFC) has held a position for the small presence of chiropractors in the Philippines. In 2006, the Asia Pacific Federation of Chiropractic Physicians (APCDF) was established to develop the profession in the region, including the Philippines. We have held a seat on the council since its inception and I am a current officer.
The Philippine government passed a law in 1997 known as the TAMA law which resulted in the formation of a Complementary and Alternative Medicine division of the Department of Health. The department is called the Philippine Institute for Traditional and Alternative Health Care, or PITAHC for short. In 2009, PITAHC established the National Chiropractic Certification Committee (NCCC), which to date has certified 22 Doctors of Chiropractic, all graduated from universities in the United States.
In the Philippines, there are outdated laws that limit the practice of professionals to Filipino citizens. These same laws allow reciprocal licensing and there are hundreds of Filipino citizens who are licensed and practice in the United States. Currently, the chiropractic profession is not regulated by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), so foreigners with an appropriate status of residence with rights to engage in employment and business, and who are qualified and experienced in chiropractic, are operating their private practices under general civil laws that meet the same requirements as any business entity. They also undergo Certification by the NCCC to assure the public of their professional training.
These provisions are important to the immediate growth of chiropractic in the Philippines because most chiropractors who are willing to relocate to the Philippines are non-citizens; limiting their practices would be contrary to the best public interest of the people of the Philippines.
The next step is the formalization of a National Chiropractic Association. This organization assists in the development of the Chiropractic profession and also in the self-regulation of its practitioners. Public health education is not the responsibility of the individual physician, but is a primary function of the association. The second education issue is the provision of continuing education for its member chiropractors so that the profession can continue to grow scientifically. The third educational theme is the effort to establish a formal College of Chiropractic so that bright, intelligent young Filipino men and women can enter the profession after attending a local eight-year college training program.
Other duties and responsibilities of the national association will evolve as the profession in the Philippines grows. The last important issue to mention is the formulation (under international consultation) of an appropriate Chiropractic Law as the final stage of public safety and professional recognition.
Meanwhile, the media can play an important role in educating the public about the benefits of chiropractic. There have been many prominent stories about chiropractic on television and in newspapers over the last 20 years and many more are needed. The future of the chiropractic profession in the Philippines looks great, but it also looks like it will take many years of effort and for the full and complete acceptance of all members of the profession for the roles that each can contribute to the pioneering development of chiropractic in Philippines. .