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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Gatchalian: Creation of PH Center for Disease Prevention, Control will improve gov't health crisis response

Gatchalian: Creation of PH Center for Disease Prevention, Control will improve gov't health crisis response

Published Dec 27, 2022 10:57 am

The creation of a Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control will help improve the government’s response whenever there is a health crisis similar to the COVID-19 pandemic happening again in the country.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian made the remark as the country observes the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness today, Tuesday, December 27.

“The current COVID-19 situation emphasizes the risks and highlights the need to improve preparedness, surveillance and response at local, national and international levels against future pandemics,” Gatchalian said in the explanatory note of Senate Bill No. 825 which he filed.

“To avoid heavily burdening our public health system that may signify serious repercussions, including countless morbidities and mortalities, trade disruptions and negative effect on the economy, our proposed measure emphasizes on the importance of having a strong public health capacity in communities across the country before any public health emergency occurs,” the senator added.

The bill proposes integrating the functions of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the Department of Health’s (DOH) Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, Epidemiology Bureau, Health Emergency Management Bureau, Bureau of Quarantine, and Health Promotion and Communication Service under the proposed Center.

The Center shall then serve as the principal agency on developing and applying communicable disease prevention and control initiatives and will be an attached agency of the DOH.

Under the bill, the Center’s functions will cover research, health promotion programs and the conduct of clinical trials, apart from managing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases in the Philippines.

Part of the Center’s functions would also include assessing and supporting the capabilities of local government units (LGUs) to prevent the emergence and transmission of communicable diseases.

At the same time, Senate Bill No. 825 seeks the creation of a National Health Strategy for Disease Prevention, to consider the challenges in areas such as hospitals’ and other health care facilities’ medical capacity and capability and enhancement of information and technology in public health, among others.

Likewise, Gatchalian’s bill pushes for the creation of a medical reserve corps composed of volunteer health professionals who may be called to duty during public health emergencies.

Related Tags

health crisis covid-19 Sherwin Gatchalian PH Center for Disease Prevention and Control doh
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