Highlighting the need to adapt with the current situation in the Philippines, a health expert expressed his approval in the proposed “reconstitution” of the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to only those with “relevant and intended functions.”
“There are other diseases, and I think we are in the endgame of pandemic – it’s the third year. I really think that things have to come back to less and more institutional arrangements. We are handling several fronts of battle and by keeping everybody still on Covid-19, baka mabawasan ang time nila. So ako, I’m really agreeing with the President to re-study the composition of IATF (We are handling several fronts of battle and by keeping everybody still on Covid-19, it might reduce their time. This is why I am agreeing with the President to re-study the composition of IATF),” said National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 special adviser Dr. Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa during the pandesal forum at Kamuning Bakery Cafe held on Tuesday, July 19.
The expert then stressed that IATF-EID’s objective is to combat “emerging infectious diseases,” adding that he no longer considers Covid-19 as “emerging.”
“It’s just one of the diseases, in fact we even have more dengue cases today, ” he furthered.
Meanwhile, Herbosa reiterated that the proposed reconstitution of the country’s pandemic task force does not mean that the national government will make it weaker. To further prove his point, the expert stressed the need to be “more appropriate” in response amid trying times.
“We don’t make it weaker by streamlining it. We make it consistent with what is happening now. Ano ba ang dapat nating gawin? Maybe vaccinations should be more of the emphasis of the work (What should we do? Maybe vaccinations should be more of the emphasis of the work),” he added.
The intent to reconstruct the IATF-EID was announced by Department of Health (DOH) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday, July 18.