MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, whose appointment was announced Monday evening, should prioritize the country's long-term plans on the COVID-19 pandemic and on preparations for future pandemics, according to a doctor’s group.
Herbosa's appointment came after nearly a year of the health department being led by Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire as officer-in-charge.
“We still have the pandemic. For me, that is the Number One priority,” said Rontgene Solante, president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), in an interview with CNN Philippines’ 'The Source'.
Even if the World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, Solante pointed out that there is a need to remember the lessons learned from the pandemic to improve the country’s ability to respond to another health crisis.
Long-term plans on vaccination, the establishment of a local virology institute and increasing the number of healthcare facilities should factor into the country’s plans for the next pandemic, Solante added.
“This pandemic will not be the last pandemic. There are ongoing outbreaks of cases like dengue and the looming problem of tuberculosis and HIV. These are all interconnected, and it’s good to know the direction the Philippines will be going,” the infectious disease expert added.
Solante added the Universal Healthcare Law should be implemented more widely to bring healthcare services closer to far-flung areas.
"We know that there is inequality in terms of access to health care facilities (and) medicine," Solante said.
A 2022 study by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) found that members of state-owned Philippine Health Insurance Corp still pay out-of-pocket for medical services despite the enactment of the Universal Healthcare Law in 2019.
The landmark law -– Republic Act 11223 — enrolls all Filipinos in the government's national health insurance program with the goal of expanding access to healthcare, especially for those with low income.
But PIDS researchers found that elderly, women, rural and poor Filipinos were more likely to spend more as the program coverage could only cover 40% of total hospital costs.
PhilHealth also covered an average of 55.83% of hospital costs from 2019 to 2021, based on PIDS researchers’ computation of data from the DOH, Philippine Statistics Authority and Washington-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
New DOH chief
Marcos on Monday named Herbosa as the new DOH chief after the position was left vacant for more than a year.
Herbosa's comments and statements on the pandemic and other national concerns previously drew backlash from the public when he was executive vice president of the University of the Philippines System.
These incidents were when Herbosa shared “fake news” about COVID-19 infections, poked fun at a person who died while lining up at a community pantry and shared a rape joke on Facebook.
