Go continues push for CDC, medical reserves corps
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has renewed his call for the establishment of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a Medical Reserve Corps as part of the Marcos administration’s priority measures to ensure that the government can be one step ahead in protecting Filipinos from health threats.
The two measures that aim to create the CDC and establish the Medical Reserve Corps are part of the priority legislative agenda of the present administration as mentioned by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 25.
During a Senate committee hearing, Go explained that his proposed CDC would not replace the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), which would still exist with the functions of providing tertiary care to both in-patients and out-patients suffering from infectious diseases, and conducting regular training courses for medical and paramedical personnel in the control of common tropical diseases in the country.
Stressing its important role during the pandemic, Go also proposed to add other functions to the RITM while transferring some of its current functions to the proposed CDC.
Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, had fought for the RITM's budget, which proved to be a crucial decision when the pandemic arrived months after.
He said that he wants to prevent situations in which health workers are overworked due to the volume of patients during public health emergencies, which limits the country's ability to quickly and effectively combat diseases.
It is for these reasons that he proposed Senate bills which will establish the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and a Medical Reserve Corps.
Under Senate Bill (SB) 195, some of the proposed major functions of the CDC will include investigating potential cases of public health emergency; enforcing regulations to prevent the spread of communicable diseases; procuring and distributing vaccines, antibiotics and other medical supplies; and working with other countries and international organizations to improve disease prevention and control systems and practices.
On the other hand, SB 1180, or the proposed “Medical Reserve Corps Act of 2022”, seeks to establish a Medical Reserve Corps composed of licensed physicians, nurses, medical technologists, persons who have degrees in the field of medicine, nursing, medical technology and other health-related fields, members of the Reserve Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the Medical Service, and administrative and technical personnel.
"In other countries, Centers for Disease Control have been instrumental in this pandemic. As experts in the field of infectious diseases, they are at the forefront of the health battle against Covid-19. It is high time for us to have our own CDC," noted Go.
"We must also have a Medical Reserve Corps which may be called upon and mobilized to assist the national government and the local government units in their functions related to addressing the medical needs of the public in times of national emergencies. Those who are deployed should be properly compensated," he added.
Go said that he is confident that his initiatives would make the government better prepared to deal with any public health emergency in the future.