HEALTH CHIEF SHOULD LEAD US TO THE RIGHT PATH - POE

With the health crisis from the coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) expected to remain for the long haul, the country must have a Health chief who can lead it to the right path, Senator Grace Poe said.

"Dito sa ating pakikipaglaban sa COVID virus, hindi naman ito hanggang ngayon lang, pangmatagalan ito. Ang kailangan natin dito ay isang liderato sa Department of Health na talagang nakakaintindi, na magbibigay ng mga tamang desisyon at inspirasyon," Poe said in an interview.

Poe was one of the 14 senators who earlier signed a resolution calling for the replacement of Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III, citing in the measure his "failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight, and inefficiency in the performance of his mandate," as the Philippines continues to grapple with the pandemic.

"May mga doktor tayong kausap, ang sinasabi nila ganito lang, 'pag nasa emergency room raw, kapag sila ay gumagawa ng surgery 'pag meron isang doktor na physically or mentally incapable na ipagpatuloy ang operasyon o catatonic, pinapalitan talaga ito," Poe explained.

"Kung hindi tayo hahanap ng kapitan na magbibigay ng tamang gabay sa atin ay baka mas lalo tayong mapahamak," she said.

Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee, said allowing the use of the mass testing kits, which have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, could have been an effective means of knowing who the infected persons are.

Based on the results of the tests, the proper intervention could have been done to help contain the spread of the infection.

As bared in a Senate inquiry, it also took more than two weeks for the DOH to coordinate with the concerned airline in tracing the individuals who had contact with the first infected person who came in the country.

Poe noted observations by medical practitioners that the DOH could have been quicker in recommending a ban on persons coming from Hubei, China, the said epicenter of the disease.

Poe also lamented that when several frontliners in a hospital raised the matter of possible infection, the DOH reportedy tried to contain the information, which made contact tracing more difficult.

"Kauna-unahang pagkakataon kasi na nagkaroon tayo ng ganitong pandemya. Hindi man natin sinasabi na alam natin ang lahat ng sagot dito pero as government officials, we should at least have the basic requirements and protocols to address this," Poe said.

"Hindi man niya naisip ang buong larawan na mangyayari, pero kailangan may minimum standards tayong sinusunod," she stressed.

Poe said she would also support the initiatives of local government units which have set up their own testing laboratories and which are aggressively doing tests on their residents to curb the spread of the disease.

The other senators who signed the resolution were Juan Miguel Zubiri, Nancy Binay, Joel Villanueva, Imee Marcos, Sherwin Gatchalian, Ramon Revilla Jr., Panfilo Lacson, Sonny Angara, Francis Tolentino, Manny Pacquiao, Ronald dela Rosa and Lito Lapid.