Health Secretary Francisco Duque III

MARIKINA CITY, Philippines – Health Secretary Francisco Duque III warned pharmacies that are selling high-priced leptospirosis medicine Doxycycline.

Duque stressed that the price of doxycycline drug ranges from P10.00 to P30.00 depending on brand. Any amount higher than that is considered overpriced and pharmacies imposing unauthorized markup will be ordered closed.

“Ang mga botlika huwag pong samantalahin ang panahon kung kailan mataas ang pangangailangan sa mga gamot. Huwag pong itaas ang presyo at may batas po kayong nilalabag. Pwede po kayong makasuhan,” Duque warned.

The Health Secretary assured, however, that the agency has enough supply of doxycycline which patients can avail for free in local health centers.

On Monday (August 13), Duque personally checked on the condition of evacuees in Bagong Silangan in Quezon City and in Malanday Elementary School in Marikina City where most of the monsoon-hit families stay.

The DOH distributed an additional 25,000 tablets of Doxycycline to local government units of Marikina City for prevention from leptospirosis infection.

Aside from doxycycline, the DOH also donated boxes of assorted medicines against rainy day diseases such as diarrhea, fungal infection, and influenza.

To date, the agency has already distributed about P1.35M worth of medicine and medical supplies to calamity-hit areas such as San Juan City, Marikina City, and Rizal, while the fund is ready for release, should LGUs in Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Ilocos Region, all affected by the monsoon rains, request for it.

All DOH-accredited hospitals are also on code white alert to immediately address emergency situations amid the inclement weather. – Aiko Miguel / Marje Pelayo

Tags: Doxycycline, Francisco Duque III, leptospirosis

MANILA, Philippines – Health Secretary Francisco Duque III formally declared Thursday (July 5) an outbreak of leptospirosis in several barangays in Metro Manila.

These barangays are Barangays Bagbag (3 cases); Silangan (5 cases); Batasan Hills (9 cases); Commonwealth (7 cases); Novaliches Proper (4 cases); Payatas (5 cases); Pinyahan (3 cases); and Vasra (4 cases) in Quezon City; Lower Bicutan (5 cases); Maharlika Village (3 cases); Signal Village (4 cases); and Western Bicutan (4 cases) in Taguig City; Barangay Pinagbuhatan (4 cases) in Pasig City; BF Homes (3 cases) and San Dionisio (3 cases) in Paranaque City; Barangay North Bay Blvd. South (3 cases) in Navotas City; Barangay Addition Hills (3 cases) in Mandaluyong City; and barangay Concepcion (3 cases) in Malabon City.

DOH said there was a significant increase in the number of leptospirosis cases in the said areas with 105 cases in just one month from June 10 to July 3, 2018. This is way higher than 76 cases during the same period last year.

The agency added that the figure this year surpassed the combined number of cases from 2013 to 2017 by 38 percent.

“It has breached what is known as the epidemic threshold. Epidemic threshold means that the average incidence or number of cases over the last five years has been exceeded by the number of cases that we have reported,” Duque explained.

DOH explained that while the public’s common knowledge of leptospirosis is that which acquired from wading through floodwater, there are other means that the leptospira bacteria may penetrate the body other than an open wound.

“Ang leptospirosis is not only transmitted through rats. Pwede siya sa dogs, sa farm, sa mga cattle. Kung nag-aalaga ka ng baboy, pwede ring sa baboy makuha mo ang lepto. Hindi rin kailangan na although very common iyong sa flood water but pwede rin kahit wala sa flood at meron diyan infected na animal, umihi at binungkal mo iyong lupa pwedeng iyong aerosole noon na may infection pwede kang magkasakit ng Lepto.,” warned Dr. Ferchito Avelino, Director 4 of DOH’s  Epidemiology Bureau.

To date, leptospirosis cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) has soared to 368 and 52 recorded deaths.

DOH  advised immediate medical consultation for individuals showing symptoms of leptospirosis infection such as fever, muscle pain, redness of the eyes, yellowing of the skin, urine discoloration, cough, vomiting and diarrhea, — Aiko Miguel / Marje Pelayo

Tags: Francisco Duque III, leptospirosis, Metro Manila

Former Health Secretary Janette Garin (left) and Incumbent Health secretary Francisco Duque III (right)

PASAY CITY, Philippines – Former Health Secretary Janette Garin stressed that the worsening state of healthcare facilities in the country during her term prompted the construction of barangay health stations (BHS).

Garin argued that during those times, around 20,000 BHS were to address the health care needs of communities.

She blamed her successors in the Department of Health (DOH) for the failure of the project, an accusation that the current Health Secretary dismissed.

“The leadership decision of the succeeding secretaries not to support the project if ever this is true might have led to the unsuccessful completion of the project,” Garin said during Wednesday’s (July 4) Senate inquiry on the BHS anomaly.

Secretary Francisco Duque III was quick to react saying they were just recipients of the flaws in management of previous DOH heads.

 “We are at the receiving ends all of these. We are trying to fix the mess because the planning was just I think it’s very deficient and very defective to begin with,” he argued.

The issue stemmed from a 2017 audit report of the Commission on Audit (COA) which revealed irregularities in the planning and construction of 5,700 BHS in public schools from 2015 to 2016 specifically the validation of BHS locations and the implementation of the project despite lack of proper guidelines.

A barangay health station located inside Barangay Balumbato Elementary School in Quezon City

Aside from constant delays, the BHS project was not completed.

Senators expressed dismay since the fund used for the BHS project came from DOH’s savings in December 2015 coinciding with the release of the special allotment order (SARO) for Dengvaxia.

“Does this become a proactive habit na ire-realign, gagamitin ang savings kapag alam ninyong hindi gagamitin (Does this become a proactive habit, the realignment of savings when you know that it is not going to be used)?” questioned Senator JV Ejercito, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography.

Garin clarified that the equipment procured during her time was only capable of conducting small check ups, in defense to the accusation that sets of medical equipment were procured even prior to the construction of BHS.

For its part, J Bros Construction Corporation as the project’s contractor claimed that the project’s implementation lacked proper guidance that’s why it was terminated.

“Not only that they do not know about the project. Sometimes the sites are not even available. There’s no space in the school or they have issues,” revealed J Bros’ Board Member Atty. Julieanne Jorge.

During the hearing, Garin dared Duque to challenge her in court over the BHS mess. – Nel Maribojoc / Marje Pelayo

Tags: barangay health station mess, Francisco Duque III, Janette Garin