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| A call center in Metro Manila |
By EMMA P VALENCIA, MD
MANY young people gravitate to jobs in the BPOs (business
process outsourcing) or call centers
because of the generous salaries and benefits, as well as the glamour of
the work. Today, the Philippines has toppled India as the country with the
highest number of BPOs.
I had the opportunity to advise a group of young doctors (Dr
Dammang et al) on their research regarding diseases of call center agents who
consulted at the emergency room of a private tertiary hospital in Quezon City,
Philippines in 2011.
I am presenting here the findings of their study, with my
comments added.
A review of Emergency Room cases seen at a private tertiary hospital
in Quezon City in 2011 showed that call
center agents were mostly female,
single, and less than 30 years old. Most common diagnoses were diseases of the
respiratory system - bronchitis, asthma, upper respiratory tract infection,
tonsillitis, pharyngitis which were more
common in males than females; diseases of the gastrointestinal tract- acute
gastroenteritis, peptic ulcer diseases, dyspepsia; diseases of the muscular
system- muscular strain and tension headaches found common in both sexes; and urinary
tract infection which was more common in females than males.
Thus, this study showed that call center agents may be at risk
for frequent bouts of respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary tract and muscular
diseases.
A very important and erious
finding of this study was that half of the call center patients who sought ER consult were smokers,
and alcohol drinkers. Of the smokers and alcohol drinkers, half were females.
The pressure of work
(need to reach quotas, hostile clients, etc) and sedentary lifestyle
(long hours of sitting, no exercise) coupled with poor eating habits and
smoking and drinking alcohol, can all lead up to early development of kidney diseases, cardiovascular diseases,
chronic respiratory diseases and even cancer. Weight gain, depression and
psychological disorders may also set in.
Thus it may not be too farfetched to envision a scenario where
the Philippines would produce a cohort of young people already afflicted with
diseases that can be seen only in those older, the so-called degenerative
diseases, because of their exposure to an environment that can maim and kill
people at an early age.
It is therefore incumbent on all health professionals not only
to treat them but also to provide meaningful health advice to these young
people on how to keep healthy under the conditions of their work and workplace.
BPOs should be made aware of the ailments being suffered by
their employees so they can institute measures to improve working conditions.
These should include, among others, regular restroom and meal breaks, provision
of healthier foods in office canteens, discouraging smoking and alcohol drinking among employees,
and providing health messages within the
workplace.
Working hours should also be reasonable and permanent night
shifts should be discouraged. Legislation to protect the health of employees in
call centers should also be considered.
It would be ironic to see that an industry that is supposed to
be an engine of economic growth, would be also be an engine of early death and
disability of our young people. Before it is too late, let us all act to
prevent this scenario from happening.
(Dr EMMA P Valencia, MD, is a Health Policy analyst, writer,
poet and journalist, who shuttles between Manila and California. She once
worked with Senator Eduardo J Angara to assist him on important health policy
legislations.)
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