Zubiri hits DOH chief's management of nCoV efforts
Published Feb 5, 2020 12:00 am
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday joined his colleagues in expressing dissatisfaction over Health Secretary Francisco Duque's management of the Department of Health’s (DOH) novel coronavirus (nCoV) efforts.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri
(Juan Miguel Zubiri Official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Zubiri, however, refused to described Duque's leadership as a "failure," as some of his colleagues put it, but admitted he found the top health official inefficient in heading the DOH in its response to the entry and spread of the new coronavirus strain in the country. "Definitely, may kakulangan (there is a lack)...I won't say 'failure,' but I'd say may kakulangan. Failure is a very tough word. Medyo nahuli ang mga galaw nila (Their actions were late)," the Senate leader said in a chance interview. Zubiri pointed at the slow contact tracing of the fellow passengers of the two Chinese nationals from Wuhan, China, who tested positive for nCoV, one of whom died last Saturday. Senators, during the Senate health committee hearing Tuesday, grilled Duque for blaming airline companies for the delay in the contact tracing. According to the DOH chief, only 17 percent of the more than 300 passengers were contacted by authorities. Airline companies refuted this, saying they have provided the DOH the list of the concerned passengers. Zubiri also hit Duque's reservations about the implementation of a temporary travel ban from all travelers coming from China to prevent the virus from entering the country. Duque only recommended this after the first case was confirmed last Thursday involving a 38-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan. "Initially, Sec. Duque was afraid to hurt the feelings of China...I think, being Secretary of Health, his first item on his agenda is to protect his people, all the Filipinos, and the people living here in the Philippines, from nCoV," he told reporters. "The job of hurting the feelings of other countries is not his job. Maybe it's the job of the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) to apologize on our behalf, but the job of the Secretary of Health is to take care of the Filipinos," he added. "Sa tingin ko diyan siya sumablay." (That’s where he messed up.) He said the DOH should be alarmed with the rapid increase of the 2019-nCoV cases and work "double time" especially after confirming on Wednesday the third case of the infection here. He supported the DOH's move to tap police intelligence to trace the passengers who were with the infected Chinese nationals. The DOH should also prioritize the procurement of protective equipment, such as hazard material suits, for health workers dealing with 2019-nCoV patients. Zubiri said he hopes Duque would learn from Tuesday’s Senate hearing and improve his management of the health department. "At least now he's trying to make up for it, hopefully and praying na 'yong (that those) PUIs (persons under investigation)...I'm praying na marami sa kanila (most of them would test) negative," he said.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri(Juan Miguel Zubiri Official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Zubiri, however, refused to described Duque's leadership as a "failure," as some of his colleagues put it, but admitted he found the top health official inefficient in heading the DOH in its response to the entry and spread of the new coronavirus strain in the country. "Definitely, may kakulangan (there is a lack)...I won't say 'failure,' but I'd say may kakulangan. Failure is a very tough word. Medyo nahuli ang mga galaw nila (Their actions were late)," the Senate leader said in a chance interview. Zubiri pointed at the slow contact tracing of the fellow passengers of the two Chinese nationals from Wuhan, China, who tested positive for nCoV, one of whom died last Saturday. Senators, during the Senate health committee hearing Tuesday, grilled Duque for blaming airline companies for the delay in the contact tracing. According to the DOH chief, only 17 percent of the more than 300 passengers were contacted by authorities. Airline companies refuted this, saying they have provided the DOH the list of the concerned passengers. Zubiri also hit Duque's reservations about the implementation of a temporary travel ban from all travelers coming from China to prevent the virus from entering the country. Duque only recommended this after the first case was confirmed last Thursday involving a 38-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan. "Initially, Sec. Duque was afraid to hurt the feelings of China...I think, being Secretary of Health, his first item on his agenda is to protect his people, all the Filipinos, and the people living here in the Philippines, from nCoV," he told reporters. "The job of hurting the feelings of other countries is not his job. Maybe it's the job of the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) to apologize on our behalf, but the job of the Secretary of Health is to take care of the Filipinos," he added. "Sa tingin ko diyan siya sumablay." (That’s where he messed up.) He said the DOH should be alarmed with the rapid increase of the 2019-nCoV cases and work "double time" especially after confirming on Wednesday the third case of the infection here. He supported the DOH's move to tap police intelligence to trace the passengers who were with the infected Chinese nationals. The DOH should also prioritize the procurement of protective equipment, such as hazard material suits, for health workers dealing with 2019-nCoV patients. Zubiri said he hopes Duque would learn from Tuesday’s Senate hearing and improve his management of the health department. "At least now he's trying to make up for it, hopefully and praying na 'yong (that those) PUIs (persons under investigation)...I'm praying na marami sa kanila (most of them would test) negative," he said.