Health Groups Expresses Support For Francisco Duque Amid Resignation Calls
HEALTH GROUPS – Several health groups expressed their support for Department of Health (DOH) chief Francisco Duque as he continues to serve amid resignation calls.
Following a previous article, several senators filed a petition calling for the resignation of Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. It is for his alleged “failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight, and inefficiency” in handling the country’s coronavirus response.
Among the lawmakers who signed the resolution are Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Bong Revilla Jr., Lito Lapid, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Sonny Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian, Nancy Binay, Manny Pacquiao, Grace Poe, Imee Marcos, Joel Villanueva, and Francis Tolentino.
On Tuesday, April 21, health groups nationwide expressd their support for the Health chief as he continues to serve amid the pandemic. Based on a report from Philippine News Agency, the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), Private Hospital Association of the Philippines (PHAPi), Philippine Hospital Association (PHA), and the Philippine College of Hospital Administrators (PCHA) commended how he lead the DOH in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the report, the medical and health associations released a statement after the 14 senators filed a resolution asking for Duque’s immediate resignation.
“We in the PMA-PHA-PHAPi-PCHA put so much faith and ten-out-of-ten score in the manner that the DOH led by Secretary Francisco Duque III is handling the medical side of the Covid-19 crisis given what is available and its limited resources at the moment. We don’t change horses in the middle of the stream and instead, we should hold on to one another’s hand tight so that, faced with this viral storm, we cross the stream together,” the group said.
It said DOH chief Francisco Duque’s decision is the “sum of all the efforts of the private and government experts” as virologists, microbiologists, infectious disease specialists, epidemiologists, and other health professionals are “monitoring the COVID-19 situation daily and are constantly communicating strategies to end the battle against the disease.”
“Every minute, all data, both local and international, are gathered and collated. The exchanges of notes and expertise constantly burn the lanes of the internet and probably unknown to the public, the output of these discussions about the virus is then communicated to the DOH through the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Philippine College of Physicians and Philippine Society of Pathologists.”
Based on the report, the group said battling the pandemic is not easy. they will be able to defeat it once the scientist developed coronavirus the vaccine.
“The use of the testing kits, RT-PCR tests, and antibody-testing results are just as deceiving as to how the treacherous virus presents itself, but in the long term we will corner this virus and place it to its final resting place and this is when the vaccine will become available in a year at least,” the group said.
The Health chief said he will never resign from the position despite the senator’s sentiments. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte wants him to “stay put.”
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