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Sharp drop in TB testing: Sen. Nancy Binay, during the virtual hearing on the tuberculosis (TB) program and the upgrading of Department of Health (DOH) hospitals Tuesday, September 14, 2021, asks health officials if the country’s tuberculosis program was affected by the pandemic and whether the DOH has prepared a TB program suitable to the needs of the people in the new normal. Health officials informed Binay that there was a 59 percent drop in the number of patients tested for TB in 2020. In comparison, around 1.16 million patients were tested for TB in 2018 and almost 1 million were tested in 2019. The sharp decrease in TB testing was attributed to a change in the health-seeking behavior of patients and their mobility due to lack of transportation. “People fear going to hospitals and health centers because they might be infected with Covid-19 and there is also the issue of mobility due to lack of transportation,” they explained. Officials said they had formulated a national tuberculosis adaptive plan which is a reformulation of the standard tuberculosis program. They said the program aims to provide specific doable measures and adjustments to ensure sustainability of the DOH TB programs to complement its Covid-19 response. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)