DOH WVISAYAS DEPLOYS 40 BARRIO DOCTORS TO CEBU

BACOLOD CITY: The Department of Health (DoH) in Western Visayas has ordered the deployment of 40 doctors under its “Doctor to the Barrios” program to Cebu, now considered as the new epicenter of coronavirus infection in the Philippines. A memorandum, obtained by TheManilaTimes over the weekend, showed that the deployment of government doctors to Cebu will be done in four batches of 10 doctors. The memorandum dated June 26 and signed by Dr. Marilyn Convocar, DoH regional director, said the deployment would start on June 30 for the first batch. The last batch will be deployed on August 22. The deployment, according to the memorandum, will be from June 30 to Sept. 5, 2020. The Health department has ordered the deployment of doctors, including “doctors to the barrios,”to Cebu City to help aid its battle against the Covid-19 crisis, Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said in a statement. Vergeire also said Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd issued a directive to deploy additional physicians in wake of a reported “understaffing” of health workers in the area. She added that the deployment will not be permanent, as the doctor —particularly rural health physicians — will be tasked to provide relief for the current staff, similar to previous assignments in the Marawi and Yolanda crises. “Meaning the municipality they serve already has a municipal-hired doctor ensuring that the municipalities they serve will not be left doctorless during their assignment. Health care services will continue,”Vergeire said.

“The very nature of the DTTB (Doctors to the Barrios) program is to post doctors, usually in most remote areas where access to healthcare is a challenge and where quality health care service is most needed,” she added. Vergeire pointed out that the coronavirus cases in Cebu City have “reached a critical point.”But the Doctors to the Barrios, condemned the directive saying the concerned physicians were not properly informed or briefed through writing. They added that there was no proper consultation prior to the order’s rollout. “The absence of proper communication, justifying the tempo rary reassignment of rural health physicians serving in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas to serve in private hospitals in Cebu City is a clear violation of the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers,” the group said in a statement shared on Facebook, citing Section 6 of Republic Act 7305. The deployed doctors called on the DoH to “rethink” the directive with the DTTB seeking inclusive dialogue between the government and other concerned stakeholders. “We hope that DoH will consider this before it is too late, before the apathy and lack of accountability by their leadership completely smother the flames of passion and service of an entire generation of doctors,” they said.