The Department of Health (DOH) expressed hopes that the Congress will approve pending bills for the proposed establishment of a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The Department of Health proposed the establishment of a Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (PH CDC) with several bills now filed in the House of Representatives and Senate,” the DOH said in a statement on Thursday, July 27.
“We saw its urgency with the challenges faced by the country in the COVID-19 response in terms of preparedness and response capacities,” it added.
The DOH said that establishing a CDC will help ensure that the country’s health system is well-prepared to forecast, prevent, monitor, and control emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases and threats both of national and international concern.
To note, the United States of America also has a Center for Disease Control and Prevention which is under its Department of Health and Human Services.
The DOH said that establishing a CDC is “an opportunity to improve delivery and conduct of public health functions, especially those dependent on strong local level response capacity.”
“Furthermore, its creation will ensure operational readiness for disease surveillance, strengthen epidemiologic reporting systems, increase manpower and technical capacity, and further strengthen laboratory capacity, from the national down to local level, which the World Health Organization (WHO) sees as enabling for timely, efficient, and effective response for emergencies,” it added.
President Duterte pushed the establishment of a National Disease Prevention and Management Authority during his 5th State of the Nation Address last July 27.
“ COVID-19 will not only be the last pandemic. We need to create a National Disease Prevention and Management Authority to better respond to future outbreaks. We count on Congress’ full support,” Duterte said.
The DOH said that consultations with relevant stakeholders are being undertaken to discuss the specific functions of the proposed agency.
“On the matter of whether this is a separate agency or an attached agency of the DOH, this is still for discussion as we iron out its mandate and functions in line with the DOH,” it said.