PMA says presidential adviser's statement vs. docs 'demeaning'

Published May 21, 2020 03:44 PM By DONA MAGSINO, GMA News

The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) has condemned the statement of presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion III against the recommendation of a society of doctors not to use COVID-19 rapid test kits for returning workers.

"It is totally uncalled for and outrightly demeaning to the very people who have labored to address this unseen enemy, SARS-CoV2 or the COVID-19 disease," PMA president Jose Santiago Jr. said in a statement.

"We invite the good gentleman to a guided tour of the medical facilities, especially COVID-19 referral hospitals para makita niya ang ginagawa ng mga doctors at frontliners," he added.

On Wednesday, Concepcion said some harsh words as he negated some medical groups' position against the use of rapid test kits considering the high possibility of false results. 

"'Yung problema na itong mga doktor, salita ng salita, wala namang ginagawa. Complain ng complain," he said during a virtual briefing.

"Itong mga grupo na ito, ingay nang ingay wala namang ginagawa. So anong gagawin ng buong private sector? Magla-lockdown tayo ulit?" he added.

The PMA, composed of 84,500 physicians, remained firm that its member medical societies do not release materials without due study and research and that every recommendation is being carefully vetted by experts in the field.

"We are not purveyors of fake news... If the good gentleman is unable to present indisputable data that rapid antibody test is the correct modality for testing, why resort to such sweeping statement?" Santiago said.

"There is more to the science of Clinical and Epidemiological testing than ranting ignominiously," he added.

Concepcion, for his part, has since apologized for what he said and clarified that it was not a general statement against doctors.

"First of all, I would like to put on record that I have nothing but the utmost gratitude and admiration for the doctors and frontliners who continue to do a great service for our country during this crisis," he said.

"I pointed out that a select group of doctors are against efforts to test employees using a combination of antibody rapid test and RT-PCR," he added.

Concepcion is part of the private sector's Project ARK initiative which aims to test employees who are returning to work as the economy slowly reopens amid the pandemic.—AOL, GMA News
 

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