A multi-sectoral group hit the Department of Health (DOH) for "deficiencies" in P67-billion coronavirus disease (COVID-19) funds, saying it's a "clear disregard" for people's health and wellbeing.
The DOH has been under public scrutiny recently after the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the agency's unused and misused COVID-19 funds worth P67 billion.
"The systemic bureaucratic corruption in government agencies, especially in the DOH, steals the people's hard-earned money and deprives them of quality healthcare and social services," Health Alliance for Democracy Secretary General Albert Pascual said.
While Health Secretary Francisco Duque III explained that the funds were already "accounted for," the mass resignation of nurses and health workers over unpaid benefits including the unreleased COVID-19 hazard pay, among others, looms.
"The threat of mass resignation of health workers is a result of years of neglect and abuse. Dagdag nang dagdag ng trabaho, pero yung dagdag sahod at benepisyo, wala. Sino hindi mapupundi sa ganyang sitwasyon? (They keep on giving us more work, but no extra wages and benefits. Who would not be burned out in such situation)" Dr. Gene Nisperos from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine said.
Various organizations expressed dismay and criticism over DOH's and other government agencies' mismanagement of funds, saying that these could have been used for free mass testing, speeding up vaccinations, providing cash aid to poor families, and giving health workers the benefits and allowances they are entitled to in responding to the pandemic for over a year now.
"President Duterte and Secretary Duque should both be held accountable for pushing our health workers against the wall. The billions of DOH unspent or misused funds at a time of great need across the entire healthcare system reflect the incompetence of this leadership against the pandemic," Nisperos added.
"We understand and sympathize with the nurses and health workers who are exhausted with the government's neglect. These recent incidents only prove that we should push for changes in the public healthcare domain to equally address the needs of medical practitioners, health workers, patients, and the people as the pandemic's effects are exacerbated by the government's dismal response," Council for People's Development and Governance Spokesperson Liza Maza said.
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