As if the Desperate Housewives’ Teri Hatcher comment on the quality of medical schools in the Philippines aired on Sept. 30 over ABC channel seemed to have gotten out hand. Now, nobody knows exactly if the negative comment made by Hatcher against Filipino doctors was her own or merely based on the script provided to her by the show’s director.
Hatcher’s statement said: "Before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? ‘Cause I just want to make sure they’re not from some med schools in the Philippines." In the first place, why refer the issue to the Philippines?
Although ABC producers already apologized for the "unfounded and disrespectful remark", the Filipino communities’ anger have not ebbed, knowing for the fact that many Filipinos have outstanding accomplishments when it comes to medical field practices across the United States. From what we understand, some Americans still view other races simply as idiots, whose mental faculties are not capable of rationalizing things, better than tamed dogs. And it’s sad to note that racial discrimination often is wantonly mishandled and allowed to persist in the guise of free expression to hurt other cultures and those who have lesser in life, but whose brains are much better than those who take the courage of discriminating them.
The derogatory statement came at a time when the Philippines was recently embroiled in a nursing examination scandal that seemed to have been blown out of proportion at the expense of nursing graduates re-taking the nursing board again. It’s unfortunate that this things happened. Nevertheless, doctos board examinations in the Philippines had never been tarnished for many years now. And it’s baseless for an American actress to just make a derogatory comment to hurt the feelings of Filipino doctors in particular and the Filipino people in general. We still believe that Filipino doctors are among the best in the world. American patients can attest to that, especiall those who are seeking medical treatment in the Philippines right now, to escape the exorbitant medical expenses in the U.S. Perhaps, the only valid distinction between Filipino and American doctors do not solely rest on intelligence and training or experience, except that the latter are using modern medical equipment and technology in most hospitals. But in terms of medical practice, Filipino doctors’ medical capabilities are at par with their foreign counterparts. This is not to mention their caring attitude towards their patients.
Judging merely from the availability of modern medical facilities is not a barometer to look down on other races. After all, no matter who we are, we don’t have the excluisive franchise for the earthly things that we now enjoy. As the Holy Bible said: "All men were created equal."