DOH ‘incompetence’ in full display at House hearing

OHCC still using 3 telephone lines, lacks manpower, 6 months after establishment

On Apr 5, 2021

Questioned by lawmakers on the continued rise of Covid-19 infections more than one year since the start of the pandemic, Health secretary Francisco Duque again blamed the public for allegedly not following the minimum health protocols and not on the incompetence of his department’s handling of the problem—and the corruption that persists in his areas of responsibility.

THE incompetence of the Department of Health in dealing with the host of problems related to the Covid-19 pandemic has not been effectively addressed by Secretary Francisco Duque, more than one year since the virus has hit the country.

At the hearing of the House Health Committee last March 30, 2021, chaired by Quezon 4^th district representative, Rep. Angelita Tan, a doctor by profession, Duque and his underlings resorted to long and tedious explanations that in the end failed to hide their shortcomings.

Duque, in particular, simply blamed the public for the recent surge in Covid-19 cases by claiming the public lack of compliance to the minimum health protocols laid down by the government. “There was a breakdown’ in public compliance (to the protocols),” Duque said.

Later on, Duque also failed to give a straight answer to the query of Marikina representative, Estela Quimbo, if the DOH would allow the “complete package” of home treatment being offered by some quarters priced at P300,000 per patient until recovery, given the lack of available hospital beds for patients, especially in the Metro Manila, the hardest-hit region for Covid-19 infection.

Instead of answering ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ Duque simply rambled on by “acknowledging” that many hospitals are now “overcapacity” and the need for capacity building to accommodate more patients.

He added that patients should first consult with their doctors or resort to ‘telemedicine’ yet still failed to answer the lawmaker’s simple question.

Duque’s underling, undersecretary, Leopoldo ‘Bong’ Vega, questioned over the inability of the so-called ‘One Hospital Command Center’ to answer queries from the public, admitted that it is only now that the DOH is contemplating of “regionalizing” the center’s operations in order to better cater to the public’s need for information.

Six months after launching OHCC, DOH Usec. Leopoldo Vega is now blaming the “surge” of cases on the project’s failure to the public’s expectation, only now that the center would recruit more personnel, only now that the DOH is working on connecting with other regions and also only now that it is seeking help from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for technical assistance.

The command center was launched by the DOH in August 2020 under the supervision of Vega, also the DOH’s “treatment czar,” aimed at reducing the “waiting time” for Covid-19 patients “by referring them to the appropriate health facility that could best provide for the level of care they require,” especially in Metro Manila, according to the DOH’s own press statement last August 6, 2020.

“The OHCC will also facilitate medical transport and patient pick-up arrangements, provide health system capacity data analytics and risk communications, and optimize the use of critical care services of every hospital in the area,” the statement also boasted.

But nearly six months now after the OHCC’s establishment, Vega said they are still only using “three telephone lines” while their current PABX remains insufficient to meet the number of calls daily being received by the center.

Six months after the project’s launching Vega is now blaming the “surge” of cases on the project’s failure to the public’s expectation, only now that the center would recruit more personnel, only now that the DOH is working on connecting with other regions and also only now that it is seeking help from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for technical assistance.

Asked for a definite timetable for the center’s performance improvement by Quezon City representative Bong Suntay and Tan, Vega can only answer, “very soon.”

As for the creation of mobile or makeshift hospitals, Vega said that thus far, the DOH, with the assistance from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has only actually created one ‘field modular hospital’ good for 44 patients at the Lung Center but expected to operate three more similar facilities in Metro Manila, Batangas and Central Luzon but none with more than 100-bed capacity.

Another of Duque’s underling, PhilHealth senior vice president, Neri Santiago, added that it is only now that PhilHealth would address the concern raised by Bayan Muna representative, Ferdinand Gaite, that patients being treated at “hospital tents” should be covered by the state health insurer.

And this after Duque expressed anger that patients being treated in hospital tents are being charged P1,000 per hour of stay, as bared by Gaite.

In the incident narrated by Gaite, the patient was billed P140,000 for an “overnight stay” by the unnamed hospital despite not being actually treated inside the hospital.

Duque answered for the wishy-washy reply of Santiago, by claiming he would have the incident incvestigated and the policy reviewed “by tomorrow” considering that PhilHealth’s “improved benefit package” for Covid-19 patients are purportedly “inclusive.”