Teleconsultation service should be expanded by the Department of Health to provide the public the right information and allay their fears over the COVID-19 situation in the country.
Health advocate and Partido Reporma senatorial candidate Dr. Minguita Padilla made the proposal as she joined the public clamor for the government to make home-testing kits for COVID-19 readily available and affordable.
She also urged the Food and Drugs Administration to release the list of recognized test kit brands to guide the public.
Access to COVID-19 test kits should be ensured just like the offer of anti-COVID vaccines, the doctor said.
“Paramihin na lang sana ‘yung mga hotline; ‘yung mga teleconsult para sa ganoon maiwasan ang punuan sa ospital na maglalagay pa sa kanila sa panganib ng COVID-19 infection. (We should add more hotlines or teleconsult (workers) so danger of being infected with COVID-19),” Padilla told a radio interview on Friday, Jan. 7.
She warned that not all testing kits are reliable, adding that this makes it imperative for FDA to conduct an information drive to guide the public about brands it had approved.
Dr. Padilla then advised the public: “You watch out kung mayroon kayong maramdaman na kakaiba. Pero under ordinary circumstances, don’t panic. Mag-ingat pero hindi dapat mag-panic. ‘Yun ang importante. (Watch out if you feel something different, not normal. But under ordinary circumstances, don’t panic. Take care but don’t panic. That’s the important thing.)
Dr. Padilla, founder of the Eyebank Foundation of the Philippines, said she has long helped the DOH and other hospitals and government institutions even before she decided to run for senator.
Meanwhile, Partido Reporma treasurer Arnel Ty, said brand names of reputable antigen kits should immediately be made available to the public.
“Some antigen testing kits are also going out of stock. 10 boxes arriving today in our HQ. We are consuming five boxes per week,” said Ty.
“FDA and DOH should give public advisory on which brands of antigen tests are reliable, so that people would no longer line up in testing centers,” Dr. Padilla stressed.