DOH personnel 'affected' by Ombudsman probe –official

Department of Health (DOH) officials and personnel could not help but get "affected" by the investigation being conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman regarding its COVID-19 response efforts, an official said Friday.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said DOH personnel "are doing our best," noting that they have been working overtime and many of them have even contracting the virus.

"Siyempre pag ganitong klase ng mga imbestigasyon, lalung-lalo na nanggagaling sa Ombudsman, ay naaapektuhan po ang aming kawani na antagal nang nagtatrabaho and andami nang naimpeksiyon sa amin ng COVID and we are really doing our best," she said.

Vergeire added that the Ombudsman's moto proprio investigation, announced by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Wednesday, "surprised" them.

"We were really surprised by this investigation coming from the Ombudsman," she said, but added they are willing to cooperate with the investigation.

"Bukas ho ang aming tanggapan sa ganitong mga investigation and we will cooperate kung sakaling magtuloy-tuloy po ito," Vergeire said.

According to Martires, the probe will include confusing and delayed reporting of COVID-19 related deaths and confirmed cases by the DOH.

Vergeire denied that the DOH is submitting inaccurate and dated data to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the government's policy-making body in addressing the COVID-19 problem.

"Unang-una, gusto natin klaruhin na lahat ng desisyon ng nter-Agency Task Force ay base sa accurate at on time na data," she said.

She also said the DOH has taken steps, including partnering with private sector groups and hiring more encoders, to ensure timely and accurate data processing. --KBK, GMA News