Senatorial aspirant Sorsogon Governor Francis ‘’Chiz’’ Escudero on Wednesday, Jan. 26 urged the Department of Health (DOH) to empower local government units (LGUs) to implement a pandemic response tailored to local health realities, instead of compelling them to follow frequently changing national health guidelines.
The former senator made the appeal with Omicron cases rising in Metro Manila and spreading to the provinces.
Escudero said local chief executives have come up with their own effective approaches to managing COVID-19 over nearly two years of the pandemic, but they are derailed by ever-changing directions from the DOH-led Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
“Sa totoo lang napakaraming best practices ang mga gobernador at mayor sa buong bansa—talo at malayo ang mga ginagawa ng DOH at IATF sa ngayon—na kung bibigyan buwelo lang sana sa mga lokal na pamalahaang ito, magiging mas maganda ang COVID-19 response ng ating bansa (The truth is there are many best practices of our governors and mayors throughout the country that are better than what the DOH and IATF are doing now but still needs momentum to make their COVID-19 response better),” said Escudero, whose province has secured ISO certification for all its public hospitals.
Even with around 600 new COVID-19 cases in Sorsogon just this year—from zero cases last Christmas—Sorsogon’s hospital occupancy rate is at a low 43 percent, and isolation and quarantine facilities are only 12 percent occupied.
This is because the provincial government has secured home care kits as early as 2020 for distribution to asymptomatic COVID-19 patients or those with mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization, the governor said.
“Sa pribado o pampublikong ospital man, wala kang karapatang magpa-ospital kung mild o asymptomatic lamang (Those with mild symptoms or are asymptomatic have no right to go to private or public hospitals). Hindi tulad ng nakikita natin halimbawa sa ibang siyudad sa Metro Manila, ang mga mayayaman kahit wala namang nararamdaman ay ospital kaagad kapag nagpositibo (In some cities in Metro Manila, the rich go to hospitals even if they are no symptoms). ‘Yung mga may malalang karamdaman, may kinalaman man sa COVID o wala, hindi na tuloy nakakapunta sa ospital at nagiging rason na lumala ang sakit nila o ikasawi pa nila (So those with severe symptoms that may or may not be COVID-related sickness could not go to hospitals which cause their sickness to degenerate or their deaths),” Escudero lamented.
Some rich and influential people, he said, even pay for hospital rooms for weeks just to secure places for their families who might end up getting COVID-19.
“That’s just not right. This pandemic has shown us just how skewed the Philippine health care system is for the rich. Even with the Universal Health Care Act, you see just how un-universal health care is, judging by who are able to access and afford quality care. This is something that we were very conscious about in Sorsogon. That’s why we strengthened home-based COVID-19 care for everyone, so hospitals can serve those who really need urgent care,” Escudero said.
Despite the devolution of health services mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991, he said LGUs have not been given sufficient autonomy to decide and implement their own health responses to public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other initiatives such as vaccinations.
What LGUs need from the DOH, he said, is better disease surveillance and testing.
He said the government should have invested in strengthening the capacities of institutions such as the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) before the pandemic.
The veteran lawmaker said he would pursue legislation on public health emergency preparedness and greater accountability for health officials if he regains a seat in the 24-member Senate.