Allocating Medical Resources Efficiently: Importance of Health Literacy during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Editor:

In a recent Brief Communication published in this journal, the authors emphasized that it is crucial to allocate medical resources efficiently for distinguishing people who remain coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) asymptomatic until the end of the disease. They concluded that if asymptomatic patients without these characteristics at the time of diagnosis could be differentiated early, more medical resources could be secured for mild or moderate cases in this COVID-19 surge [1]. This is indeed a very realistic observation given the fact that medical sources are limited most especially to developing countries where the COVID-19 pandemic is still causing a big problem. With this, one way of achieving the goal of equal allocation is improving the health literacy of both the public and the government.

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals and organizations have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others [2]. This means that everyone can use their health literacy skills to improve the health of their communities and its members. The public needs trustworthy information on how to maintain and adopt a health-promoting lifestyle during the pandemic while the government is dependent on the public to carry out the recommendations in order to mitigate the disease. The approach is indeed characterized by a mutual cooperation between the public and the government/provider for it to be successful.

In the Philippines, one great challenge is the inconsistent, too difficult to understand, or even erroneous information from the government which creates confusion from the public. There were previous instances where the guidelines for quarantine classifications are changed without some locals fully able to understand its differences. As reported by Reuters, “millions of people woke up confused, confined and frustrated in the Philippines… as a sweeping home quarantine order kicked in with just a few hours of warning, and Southeast Asia prepared tighter measures against a surge in coronavirus cases” [3]. There was also a time where even a legislator was tested positive for COVID-19 but subsequently drew flak for violating quarantine protocols to visit his pregnant wife in the hospital, putting all the medical staff at risk. Massive information on the different brands of vaccines, including its efficacy and side effects, were also not prioritized causing many locals to remain hesitant in getting inoculated.

On the part of the public, the low level of health literacy is evident in some circumstances. Many Filipinos most especially in far-flung settings still do not have internet access and they hold on to the traditional ways of herbal treatments coupled with prayers which were intercessions from their dead relatives. Many Filipinos in the cities do not also practice the minimum health protocols such as the wearing of face masks and observing social distancing. They do not fully understand the danger of neglecting these protocols. Just recently, the Omicron variant was on the surge with a whooping 40,000 cases a day and this is due to the ‘forgotten’ health protocols during the Christmas holidays. There was even a Filipina who returned from the United States, and ‘boasted of having connections,’ skipped being quarantined in a hotel and then went to attend a party and later on was found out to be COVID-19 positive. Based on the first national health literacy survey among 2, 303 Filipinos aged 15 – 70, the national prevalence of limited health literacy is about 51.5% and sub-national prevalence ranges from 48.2% to 65.4% [4]. This is low and indeed alarming.

This challenge on low health literacy for both the public and the government needs serious attention. The government must strengthen more its programs on making valid information more accessible and widespread. There is no basis by which an individual or any organization can process these information to improve health outcomes without accessible information. Second, there should be a revival of value-formation programs for everybody to instill the importance of social responsibility. Some Filipinos are familiar with these health protocols but the only problem is that they are not disciplined enough to follow. Some lack the necessity of care and sensitivity towards others most especially during health crisis. Lastly, a culture of research must be cultivated and enhanced in the concerned government sectors and educational institutions so that relevant developments in public health must be known by all for the good sake of everyone else.