The state of public health emergency has not yet been lifted since COVID-19 variants are still a threat, infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said Sunday. READ:
In an interview on radio dzBB, Solante said COVID-19 infections in the country are now “very stable” and even the hospitals are no longer getting overwhelmed with new cases.
Currently, the only variant of concern tagged by the World Health Organization is Omicron B.1.1.529. However, the Philippines recently detected Omicron BQ.1, a sublineage of the highly transmissible Omicron BA.5 subvariant.Meanwhile, 4Ps Rep. Marcelino Libanan said Malacañang should designate a permanent DOH secretary to quickly modernize the country’s health care system and position the Philippines as a global medical hub, just like Singapore.
“In fact, a growing number of wealthy Filipinos are already flying to Singapore just to seek medical treatment. This is not just about medical tourism. This is also about providing every Filipino, rich or poor, access to world-class medical treatment services through our public health system,” he added.
However, according to COA chairman Gamaliel Cordoba, former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had written to the state auditors saying that the DOH could not provide the documents due to the signed NDAs with suppliers.
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